


Exile: A Tale of Two Brothers

by Zorkonov



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls: Blades
Genre: F/M, Main Questline Novellisation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:28:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 107,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29564727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorkonov/pseuds/Zorkonov
Summary: A pretty long Elder Scrolls story which shows my vision on how to make the Blades Main Quest better. Has everything from actual story, no microtransactions, Skyrim forshadowing and romance.Have fun reading it. For more information check the Imperial Knowledge channel: https://youtu.be/sPqKs5aEuM0- Zorkonov
Kudos: 9





	1. Exiled

# Exile: A Tale of Two Brothers

## An Elder Scrolls Questline Novellisation

### Exiled

_Second Seed 15th, 4E 180.  
Province of Cyrodiil, Several miles south of Kvatch_

Dawn gleamed over Cyrodiil’s lush green hills as Framir woke up from his sleep. The Nord squinted his eyes against the radiant sunlight which shone directly into his vision. He closed his eyes again and sighed deeply. He then stretched his stiff arms and yawned, slowly opening his eyes again and making an effort to stand up. He’d been laying in a patch of grass on the floor of some weathered ruins of what must have been a small army outpost. As he stood up he grimaced, his leg still hurt from the skirmish he’d been in several days ago trying to get a loremaster to safety.

It had been an arduous encounter as they had been ambushed by Thalmor Justiciars along the way. He’d been able to bring the loremaster to safety but his leg had been severely wounded in the process, and while he had been able to close the wound, he hadn’t been able to heal his ruptured muscle. He was hoping that as soon as he’d reach his destination he’d be able to get his leg fully healed, and perhaps finally find a place to settle.

For the past five years he’d been on the run from the Thalmor Justiciars who had gotten jurisdiction to hunt down Blades agents across the Empire. As the last appointed Grandmaster of the organisation, he’d been leading a group of surviving Blades agents after Cloud Ruler temple, their old headquarters, had fallen during the last year of the war. After the Temple’s fall they had taken refuge in a Blades safehouse in southern Skyrim, only for them to be forced to flee less than three months later when the Emperor signed the White Gold Concordat, branding all of them outlaws. He had then led his group across almost all of Tamriel, ever on the run and trying to find places for the members of the group to start a new life in anonymity. It had taken his group five years, and a lot of losses, but over half of them had found a new home in exile. And now, being the final member left, it was his turn to find a place to spend the remainder of his years, far away from the Thalmor’s reach.

He approached his horse and stroked her head with his right hand ‘We’re almost there’. He looked at the ruins of a hastily fabricated watchtower on the other side of the ruins and yawned again _‘Only two more days’_

He walked back towards his blanket and started folding it in order to fit it in his pack. A small flimmer on the far end of the outpost distracted him, something half-buried in the ground reflected the sunlight. After fitting his blanket into his pack and strapping his sword to his belt he approached the glimmer. He grinned bitterly when he saw it’s source, a broken blade that had belonged to a lean Elven sword. It must have been left behind by the Aldmeri Dominion forces when they retreated to their own lands at the end of the war. As a broken weapon it didn’t hold any obvious value, and thus the Dominion armies must have just left it behind. He picked up what was left of the sword, only half of the blade was left and the hilt was severely weathered. It was in such a bad shape that even a bandit wouldn’t have taken it.

Southern Cyrodiil had many of these ruins, fabricated outposts used by the Dominion armies to keep their grip on the conquered territories during the war. What was left of the Imperial legion was now being used to repair the towns and old legion forts, leading to outposts like these quickly falling into disrepair, often used by bandits and the like. He’d found the outpost late last night, completely abandoned and thus decided to spend the night there as it still had a stable looking roof to sleep under.

He took a piece of bread from his pack and slowly ate it as he slung his backpack on his shoulder and approached his horse. He heard a lone swallow sing in a tree south of the outpost as he strapped his light saddle on his horse while once again stroking her neck ‘Are you ready, girl?’

The horse neighed and he smiled, leading her out of the outpost’s crumbling walls by the reigns. Once they were standing on a weathered gravel path leading to the road he climbed on his horse, and slowly started trotting towards the road heading south.

The next two days were spent travelling through the green fields of southern Cyrodiil, even five years later the scars of war were still clearly visible. While the worst damage to forts, roads and villages had long since been repaired, there were still many ruins that reminded of the war that had raged in the province just a few years ago. As such he spent his first night in the ruins of a tavern in an abandoned village. The second night he spent sleeping under the stars next to a large oak tree.

On the dawn of the third day Framir saw his destination on the horizon, the town of Rivercrest, the town he had grown up in. He sighed _‘Almost there… Let’s see if anyone remembers me’_ He shook his head _‘Probably for the best if they don’t’_

He then squinted his eyes, looking towards the village in the distance against the light of the sun. Then he saw it, thick columns of smoke rising from the village, the village was burning _‘Fuck’._

He pushed his heels in the sides of his horse, spurring her to go faster. On a quick gallop he hurried himself towards the village. He bowed over, spurring his horse to go even faster as when he came closer he started seeing flames on the other side of the village’s walls. The hooves of his horse clattered hard on the loose gravel path, leaving a trail of dust behind them that sprung up when the hooves of his horse came into contact with the gravel.

He was now close enough to see the red imperial banners waving on the village’s small watch towers. One of the towers was burning, a dark cloud of smoke forming above it. The air became ever thicker with smoke as he came closer to the village. The sky above became darker by the minute as more buildings caught fire and added to the clouds of smoke. As he continued to gallop he bound a piece of cloth in front of his mouth in hopes of filtering out some of the smoke.

When he was scarcely three hundred meters away from the city gates he saw a group of men in leather armor, armed with simple iron weapons calmly walking away from the town.

_‘Bandits?! Did they do this?!’_

He reigned in his horse as he approached the group, the man at the front held up his arm ‘Halt! Turn around, Bloodfall Queen’s business only’

Framir removed the cloth in front of his mouth, attempting not to cough ‘Who do you think you are to stop me from helping the village?’

‘We are in service to her Majesty Urzoga gra-Batul, the Bloodfall queen. This town refused to pay taxes to their rightful queen, we came here to collect’

‘So, you set fire to the town?’ Framir put his hand on the hilt of his sword and looked at the men with a furious frown.

‘No, I don’t know what happened, and neither do my men’ said the commander with a shrug ‘That happened shortly after we tried to collect the taxes… must have been.. an accident’

‘Do you expect me to believe that?’

‘I don’t care’ the commander shrugged ‘But I suggest you turn around now as we are under strict orders not to let anyone through’

‘Well’ Framir jumped off his horse ‘I’m going through, one way or another’

‘Fine’ the commander said, drawing his sword ‘have it your way, men, kill him so we can be on our way’

Framir didn’t leave them any room for the initiative, he was gravely outnumbered, there were seven of them and his painful leg already slowed him down severely. He lunged forward, drawing his lean steel sword in a short fluid motion that flowed right into a stab which punctured the heart of the closest mercenary before the man had even drawn his sword. He balanced himself on his good leg and made a half pirouette upward slashing at the place he expected one of the mercenaries to be. He had been right, the man hadn’t dodged and still stood in the exact place he had been in during his charge. Framir’s sword cut right through the man’s leather armor cutting a long deep gash from the man’s upper thigh to his lower chest. He immediately jumped back to evade strikes from two of the men, grimacing when he landed on his painful leg. But he forced himself to keep going as he blocked two consecutive strikes, and then dodged a third, using the dodge to land a powerful strike on one of the mercenaries’ legs, cutting deep into the flesh rendering the man limp. He quickly dodged a few more strikes and then used his elbow to give a powerful stomp in the limp man’s face. He felt the cracking sensation of a nose breaking under his elbow, the man immediately dropped his sword in an attempt to guard his nose from even more blows. Before his sword had hit the ground, Framir had pushed the man aside as he dodged a strike by the group’s commander and reached out his left arm to grab the dropped sword, now he held two swords.

The group’s commander looked at him with uncertain eyes and then shook his head ‘Stop!’ he grimaced, a gaze full of hate in his eyes ‘Fine, go to your burning village, just leave us the fuck alone’ he looked at his men, over half of them wounded and one dead ‘Get out of here, the queen can kiss my ass for all I care, I have no desire to die’.

Framir didn’t even nod but immediately hurried back to his horse, quickly jumping into the saddle to hasten towards the village. Before spurring her on he looked towards the Mercenaries ‘Get out of here, and tell your queen to leave this town alone’.

He then spurred his horse and gallopped towards the town through the ever thickening smoke. Just in front of the gate there was a small group of people, some with severe burns laying on the ground as healthier townsfolk tried to tend to them. He jumped off his horse as several of the townsfolk looked up, agony and desperation in most of their eyes.

‘What can I do to help?!’ He shouted over the roaring of the flames.

An old man, his face blackened by the smoke and his beard full of small burns approached ‘Stranger! Please lend us your aid!’ he pointed towards the gates ‘Some of our people are still stuck in there, one of our town’s protectors went in to get them but we haven’t heard anything of her anymore, please stranger, all of us are too weak to go back in’

He nodded and drew his sword, preparing to run in ‘Get your people to safety, use my horse if you like, but get as far away from here as possible or all of you will choke on the smoke’

‘We cannot do that, the men who caused this fire are still out there somewhere they migh-’

‘I dealt with them’ Framir bit his tongue as his leg started to burn from the pressure ‘You are safe to go’

‘Thank the divines stranger, we will, please find our people they were hiding in the town hall when the fire started, the town hall is in the far we-’

‘I know’ he nodded quickly ‘I will see what I can do!’ Framir then hastily bound the cloth in front of his mouth again as he ran through the gates, into the burning town.

The air was thick with smoke limiting his vision to only a few meters in front of him, under any normal circumstances he wouldn't have been able to navigate his way through a town under these conditions. But he’d grown up in these streets and as his feet carried him over the pavement he navigated on memory. The town was fairly small, and thus it didn’t take him long to find the burning town hall, a large wooden building in the town’s fortified center. It seemed as if the building was about to collapse, but through the thick smoke he saw a woman in thick leather armor standing front of a collapsed doorway, trying to move the rubble. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate and formed a spell of pure kinetic energy in his left hand.

The woman’s hair and face was completely blackened by the constant streams of smoke, and every second it became harder to make out her figure, but as he approached he yelled ‘Get out of the way!’ trying to get over the sound of the roaring flames, she didn’t seem to have heard him and as he came closer he yelled again ‘Move!’ now she heard him, but before she could do anything he had pushed her out of the way and released the kinetic energy on the rubble, causing the pile of burning wood to be violently pushed aside with a small explosion. He then looked at her and nodded towards the opening, both of them immediately ran in and the woman, a high elf with short blonde hair that reached just above her shoulders yelled ‘Some of my people are in the basement, if you can get one more spell, the entrance is blocked by rubble’

‘I will!’ he shouted as he saw a collapsed wall laying on top of a large trapdoor. He formed another spell in his hand and blew away the rubble with it.

The elf then quickly ran towards the trapdoor, and together they lifted it. Under it, they saw several people who had grouped up at the entrance when they heard the sound of the rubble being moved.

‘Get out of here!’ The elf shouted at the people. She didn’t have to repeat herself as the villagers frantically ran towards the entrance. Only the last villager stopped in front of them ‘You need to help, some people have already suffocated downstairs or fainted, the flames had already reached us!’

‘We’ll do what we can’ Framir nodded and coughed ‘Get out of here now, get to safety!’

As the villager quickly ran to safety, Framir and the elf quickly ran down the stairs to the basement. They saw the flames had already engulfed most of it, and saw several burning bodies beyond the flame’s edge.

_‘Oh no…’_

‘There!’ The elf shouted and pointed at an untouched man’s body that was still breathing heavily.

Without any more words they both ran towards it, she took the arms and Framir took the legs. He ignored the burning sensation in his wounded leg as they hurried to the exit of the burning building and carried the man out. When they came to the entrance, they kept running. They made their way towards the town’s gates, and just after the left the city center the heard a loud crashing sound.

Framir looked behind him, he didn’t see anything through the smoke. But he knew what the sound had been, the burning town hall had collapsed. As they hurried towards the gates, several more buildings around them collapsed as burning wood came crashing down when the damaged pillars could no longer carry the weight of the different buildings. When they passed the burning gates he saw several of the surviving townsfolk approach, taking the limp body from them as the elf seemed to almost faint from a lack of oxygen. He hurried to her side and supported her before she fell over ‘Let’s get out of here’

Together with the other townsfolk they hurried towards the bank of a small river. One of the villagers in front of them shouted at them ‘The others have taken shelter in a cave on the side of the river! The air is a bit cleaner there!’

They silently nodded and ran after them. As they got further away from the town the air became more breathable, and the elf could again run without being supported. Behind them they continued to hear the roaring fire of the town and the sound of collapsing buildings, but they could no longer see the town through the thick smoke that surrounded it. When they reached the entrance of the cave after about half an hour of running, the air was once again relatively clean.

Framir saw several villagers standing in the river, trying to clean themselves or cool the wounds of their neighbours with the cold water of the river as other townsfolk ran in and out of the cavern. Framir saw the old man from earlier, now with a clean face coming towards them, smiling at the elf ‘Malenwen, I am so happy to see you made it out. When the others returned and said you and the stranger had headed deeper into the town hall I feared you two might not have made it’ he then turned to Framir ‘And you.. stranger, thank the Divines for your help and generosity. Our village will be forever in your debt’

‘I’m just glad I could help’ Framir smiled and then turned to the elf, Malenwen ‘And knowing it’s you under all that ash, I’m even happier I was able to help, Maly’

The elf looked confused, her face and hair completely covered in black ash ‘What, Ma-’ she then studied his face more closely and broadly smiled, hugging him tightly ‘What in Stendarr’s name are you doing here?!’ she then released him and smiled ‘We thought you died during the war’

‘I’m sorry to disturb’ the old man frowned ‘But do you know this stranger, Malenwen?’

‘Yes, Junius’ She smiled and pushed Framir towards the old man ‘Don’t you recognise him, Framir, the son of old Gordir’

Framir sheepishly held up his hand as the man studied his face ‘By the divines… Of course, it’s you! Little Framir!’

‘Heh’ Framir said as he coughed on some of the smoke stuck in his throat ‘No one has called me “little” in a very long time…’

‘It’s been so long’ The old man, Junius, the town Elder said with a look of disbelief in his eyes ‘Like Malenwen said, most were convinced you had died in the war!’

‘It’s been tough, but I survived. And it seems I returned at just the right moment’

‘You can say that twice’ Malenwen said as she put her hand on his shoulder ‘Thank you for your help, without you I doubt either myself or any of those in the town hall would have made it’

‘Just glad I could help’

‘Yes, so are we’ Junius nodded ‘My, my, this is a lot to take in. But we have more pressing issues at the moment, you two should clean yourselves up at the river. And if I may be so bold, I’d be grateful if you’d continue lending us a hand, Framir’

‘Of course’ he nodded ‘I’ll go and get some of this ash of me and then see what I can do for the wounded villagers’

‘Yes, me too’ Malenwen said as they both quickly walked towards the river. Before they reached the water’s edge Malenwen noticed he was dragging his leg ‘Are you okay, did you wound your leg in the village?’

‘No, don’t worry’ he grimaced ‘I contracted that some time before I got here and I don’t suspect I’ll be rid of it anytime soon’ he stepped into the water at the river’s shore, enjoying the cold of the water after the hellish flames of the village ‘Don’t worry about it, I can live with it’

‘If you say so’ Malenwen said as she used some water to get the ash off her face, revealing her straight elven jaws ‘But by Martin, where have you been Framir?’

‘That…’ He also tried to clean his face a bit before continuing ‘That… is a long story, and I prefer not to talk about it for now… the last few years haven’t exactly been pleasant’

‘Alright… are you okay?’ She rubbed some water into a burn wound on her arm ‘I know it’s been… how long now? Almost twelve years since you left, but you can tell me anything, you know that?’

‘I know, don’t worry’ He tried to wash his lower arms a bit as he grimaced again ‘I might tell you about it someday, because I came back here with the intention to stay, and it looks like the village could use my help’

‘I think that’s an understatement’ Malenwen said with a sad frown ‘If I get my hands on those men…’

‘You don’t have to’ He shook his head ‘I dealt with them on my way here, I think they learned their lesson’

‘Really? There were at least six of them’

‘Seven’ He carefully drank some water from his hands and then threw some more in his face ‘Or well, I think five now as I killed one and the wound I gave another of them will have probably killed that one man now too’

‘Wow..’ Malenwen then sighed and looked towards the burning village ‘The entire village… it’s just gone now it seems…’

Suddenly Framir felt something wet fall on his head and looked around, raindrops started falling from the sky ‘Thank the divines’ he muttered and then looked towards the town ‘Perhaps something will survive if this rain will be enough to put out the flames’

‘Here’s hoping’ Malenwen smiled bitterly ‘Are you sure you are good to go?’ she looked at his injured leg ‘That leg doesn’t look good’

‘I’ve had worse’ He grimaced ‘Let’s get to Junius, enough time to catch up later. The townspeople will need our help’

‘You are right’ She sighed but then smiled ‘But in case I haven’t made it clear yet, I’m glad to see you back’

‘You too’ Framir smiled. As they returned to Junius he remembered his youth at the village, before he enrolled in the Imperial Legion. He and Malenwen had been inseparable since childhood. Back then they had both been children and after playing with wooden swords for most of their childhoods started training under the town’s old warrior, Henrik Seven Swords, who had become a mentor to the both of them. When they had both been sixteen Framir had enrolled in the Imperial legion and left the town, while Malenwen had remained to help protect the town with Henrik. Being a high elf, she had barely aged and now cleaned of the ash she looked almost exactly the way she had when they had said goodbye more than a decade ago. It was a bit surreal to see, but such was the biology of elves.

When they approached old Junius, who was standing with some other townsfolk trying to divide the supplies they had as fairly as possible, the old man turned around ‘Ah yes! Now I see it! Little Framir! All grown up!’

Framir laughed slightly ‘Aye, what can we do, Elder?’

Junius nodded at Malenwen ‘I need you two to go to Highwinter Castle, tell them it’s safe to return. You two are the only ones who seem to be able to defend yourself, and I have no idea what dangers might lurk on the road’ he then looked at Framir ‘When the Queen’s men came, some went to take refuge in the old keep, it’s an old abandoned Aldmeri fort less than an hour from here on horse’ he smiled slighly ‘Old Henrik went with them to protect them on the road, so they should be safe’

‘Henrik?’ He looked at Malenwen ‘Henrik is still alive?’

Malenwen laughed hard ‘I don’t think anything can kill that old coot’

‘I bet he will also be glad to see you’ Junius smiled ‘Malenwen knows where the fort is, so I’d ask you to go there as quickly as possible’

‘Alright, we will’ Framir nodded ‘But before I go, I am wondering, what happened at the town? Did that queen’s men just set fire to the town?’

‘No’ Junius shook his head ‘Or at least I don’t think so’ he looked at Malenwen ‘You were there, right?’

‘Yeah’ she nodded ‘The Queen had sent mercenaries to collect taxes from the town’ she shook her head ‘We didn’t have anything to give and things escalated. They started to fight us, trying to break into the houses to just take the taxes. They had a mage with them who missed a shot with an explosive spell and accidentally hit the old founder’s statue’ she nodded at Framir ‘You remember that statue right? Large gryphon with some prince on it?’ he nodded as she continued ‘Well, the head of the statue got hit by the spell and got cracked, for a moment, nothing happened. And then suddenly all of oblivion broke loose, we heard thunder, even though the skies were clear. And suddenly a green explosion erupted from under the statue, shredding the marble to pieces and radiating white hot flames. Those flames quickly spread to the adjacent buildings… and well.. you know the rest’

‘My head aches at what little is left…’ Junius said as he rubbed his temples ‘But at least there are survivors…’

‘Yeah… but who is this Bloodfall Queen?’

‘The Imperial Vassal, Urzoga gra-Batul. She rules in the emperor’s name over this part of Cyrodiil, inherited her grandfather’s throne four years ago after her grandfather died’

‘I see… well.. before we’ll deal with her, first things first’ Framir looked at Malenwen ‘On to Highwinter castle?’

‘Yes’ Malenwen tightened her sword belt and nodded to Junius ‘Take care of the people Junius, we’ll be back soon’

‘Good luck you two’

It took them a little under an hour of riding through the rain on Framir’s horse to find the old castle, it mostly lay in ruins, like most Thalmor fortifications from the war it had been abandoned by the Imperial Legion once the war ended. He and Malenwen had used the time needed to get to the castle to catch up, he’d been silent for most of the ride but had listened with great interest to what Malenwen could tell him about the town.

It turned out the town had been under Aldmeri occupation during the war, but most of the village had survived the occupation. She was able to tell him that his parents had unfortunately died fairly recently in the years after the war due to a flu that had ravaged the village in the year 177

‘I’m sorry to hear that…’

‘Yeah.. we lost a lot of people then... ‘ she smiled sadly ‘I don’t know what will become of the town after this… I can imagine many will leave, perhaps they will rejoin family in other parts of the country…’

‘What about you?’

‘I don’t know’ she shrugged ‘I don’t have any other place to go, my mother died during the war… and my father, well, you know what happened’ Framir remembered how her father had died a few years before he had left in a large bandit raid ‘Henrik, the townsfolk, and now you, are all I have left so I might as well stay, try to rebuild’

‘I will help’ he sighed ‘There is nowhere else I can go…’

‘Didn’t you have a cousin in the Imperial city? You could join her there?’

‘No, that’s no longer an option… I… I’d rather not talk about it’ before she could answer he reigned in the horse and maned her to be quiet ‘Look’ he pointed at the fort, which had several dead bodies laying in front of the gate ‘I don’t know what happened, but it seems something was already occupying this fort when our people came here’

‘Oh no... ‘ Malenwen mumbled as they got off the horse and approached the bodies. She crouched down at the bodies ‘This seems like the work of goblins, they were ambushed’ she pointed at the bodies ‘They were trying to escape it seems’

‘Yeah… looks like it’ Framir examined the wounds ‘What do you think happened to the rest?’

‘They might have been taken prisoner’ Malenwen looked up and then carefully drew her sword ‘The goblins in this area often take human prisoners, even build cages to keep them in’

‘Ah shit’ Framir looked at the keep’s entrance ‘Let’s head in then, before even more of them get killed’

‘Good idea’ They quickly crossed the courtyard of the fort, seeing more dead bodies, and even a few dead goblins.

‘This must be Henrik’s work’ Malenwen pointed at one of the goblins, which had a large gash on it’s skull ‘Henrik has turned to using a large war-axe, I’d recognise it’s work anywhere’

‘Then maybe he’s still alive. Let’s head in’

‘Yeah, let’s’

The two of them headed into the old fort, and before long they found traces of the goblins ambush as there were several more human and goblin corpses. Malenwen recognised some of their faces but had known none of them personally. For the time being, they did not come across any live goblins, only corpses. The trail led them further into the fortress, and as they entered the fort’s basement they suddenly got hit in the face with a terrible smell.

‘Goblins’ Malenwen whispered ‘This must have been their hideout’

Framir motioned her to be quiet as he carefully listened. Down a set of stairs he faintly heard noises of creatures walking around barefoot. He looked at Malenwen and kept his voice down ‘The Goblins are down there, I don’t hear any humans, but be ready for combat’ he silently moved forward ‘If things go sour, get out and let me keep them off for as long as I can’

‘No way, with your le-’

‘Ssh’ He motioned her to be silent ‘We need the element of surprise’

They silently scaled down the stairs, and once they came to a corner overlooking the large fort cellar he carefully looked down. There were about thirty goblins, and in the far end of the cellar he saw several cages with people in it. He turned back and bowed towards Malenwen, whispering in her ear ‘There are too many goblins, I can see the remaining villagers in cages at the far end. I will send a large firebolt into the room, which will distract them. In the chaos, I need you to open the doors. Perhaps as a group we will stand a chance, you think you are up for it?’

She nodded, and immediately he stood up straight and formed a powerful spell in his left hand and shot it directly at a campfire with several goblins sitting around it. As he had suspected, the sudden attack threw the goblins in disarray. He quickly jumped down to the basement floor, trying to hog their attention with another fiery explosion, this time aimed at a large table full of goblin loot. It worked, and as the goblins all focussed on him, he saw Malenwen run towards the cages as quickly as she could.

Framir ignored the agonizing pain in his wounded leg and focussed on the incoming goblins, they were slow-witted, and he was a trained warrior. In any other circumstance they wouldn’t have been a match for them. But with his leg in the state it was in, he knew he’d only be able to hold out against them for a while. He decided to take the initiative, and gripped his sword with both his hands, jumping forward with an upward slash. The slash was unexpected and he was able to make a large gash across the stomach of an approaching goblin. He then used his elbow to push away another goblin as he dodged a strike by another goblin’s club. He was able to use this dodge to get back on the initiative as he landed a deadly strike on a goblin shaman. He then quickly dodged back three times, trying to escape being surrounded. Now that he was outside their circle he quickly jumped forward again and stabbed a slow goblin in the back. But he then felt an agonizing pain in his back as one goblin hit him in the back. He thought he felt a crack _‘That’d better not be my spine’_ he thought as he did everything he could in order to dodge another strike. But the blow had made him slow, and a sharp goblin knife cut open his arm ‘Fuck!’ he blocked two more strikes by goblins and managed to push his sword backwards to puncture the skull of a goblin trying to get to his back, but was then cut again in his leg, his, now formerly, good leg.

He tried to block another strike and tried to dodge, but then had his sword smashed out of his hands. Before the goblins could reach him, two figures jumped in front of him. One was Malenwen, the other an old man in a weathered chainmail. He was bald and had a long grey beard, he was shouting at people behind him ‘Get him out of here, he might bleed to death of those green fuckers get to hi-’

Before he was able to hear what else Henrik had to say everything turned dark as Framir fainted. The last thing he vaguely remembered was being carried out by his arms and legs as he heard sounds of clattering metal around him.


	2. What Lies Beneath

### What Lies Beneath

All Framir felt was a strange itchy feeling in his back, it felt as if a thousand ants were all creeping across his spine. He wanted to scratch his back but realised he couldn’t move his arm. He tried again, but he didn’t even feel his arm. He wanted to grimace, but suddenly realised he couldn’t even feel his face or contort the muscles within it. He was paralyzed.

He wanted to scream, but couldn’t. All the sound his mouth could produce was reminiscent of a faint moan. He tried to open his eyes, but once again couldn't. _‘Fuck’_

Suddenly he heard faint voices around him, he couldn’t make out the words. One of the voices sounded like that of Junius. Several minutes later the voices disappeared and he was once again left in silence. Suddenly he felt a faint tingling in his face and tried to open his eyes, slowly but steadily he was able to open them. It was a great effort, while the act was simple, it felt as if he had to raise a sword with just his eyelids. His vision was blurry and he could only make out a muddy white surface above him. He then saw something along the edges of his vision, with great effort he managed to blink, which managed to clear some of the blur and he noticed the shadow from the edge of his vision come closer. He blinked again, clearing his vision even further. He now noticed he was laying in a small makeshift tent. The figure he had seen in the corner of his eyes was a Breton woman of around his age, with dark brown hair stowed away in a sloppy knot and wore a simple outfit complimented with a short apron. She bowed over him, which caused him to look directly into her dark brown eyes ‘Try to relax, you will soon regain control over your body’ she examined his eyes closely ‘I wonder, can you hear me? If so, please blink twice’

He had to put in an extraordinary amount of energy to blink, but he managed to open and close his eyes twice.

‘Good’ She smiled, her voice was soft as she continued ‘I’ve had to completely paralyze you in order to work on your wounds. We didn’t have a lot of supplies on hand, and it was the only viable option. The paralysis should wear off completely in a few days, with all of your cognitive functions likely returning over the course of today’ she sat down next to his bed on the edge of his vision ‘Using some of the potions Henrik managed to recover from my shop I was able to heal the crack in your spine, and reattach the muscle in your leg. Your leg may be stiff, and your spine may still be a bit weak but they will soon feel like brand new’

He wanted to thank her, but the only sound he could produce was the faint moaning sound emerging from a chest he couldn’t yet feel.

She smiled ‘Don’t try to talk just yet, that will come in due time’ she looked at his upper torso ‘You’ve got a lot of scars, I attempted to heal some of them but they seem to be quite old so I couldn’t fix most of them and we need the supplies we have for the villagers’ she slightly bit her lip in amusement as he blinked a few more times ‘I need to go and tend to the burns of some of the townsfolk, and to some of the near smoke suffocations. I’ll be back soon, hopefully your swallowing mechanism will be back by then and I’ll be able to get you some water. You lost a lot of blood, and so far I haven’t been able to do anything about it yet’ she put a hand on his head ‘Your temperature is normal, and you are strong, so you should be fine. Hang in there, I’ll be back soon’

The next few hours were agonizingly boring, he kept trying to move. But other than his eyes his body refused to move. He kept getting the feeling in most of his limbs back as one by one they started to tingle, but he wasn’t yet able to move or gain control over the muscles. When he noticed the light above the tent fading and turning orange as the setting sun disappeared behind the Cyrodiilic hills he heard footsteps. The Alchemist was back, she seemed tired but smiled when she saw his eyes resting on her ‘How are you feeling? Blink twice for good, once for bad’

He blinked twice.

‘Good’ She smiled and sighed deeply ‘There are a lot of wounds to tend to in the village, and I only just finished’ she examined his body and pressed a finger into his chest ‘Can you feel this?’

He blinked twice.

‘Ah good!’ she then repeated the process with both his legs and his arms and in the end smiled broadly ‘That is good, you are recovering faster than I thought. I suspect that tomorrow morning you may be able to wiggle your toes, and perhaps talk.. be it with some difficulty as the muscles in your mouth may still be a bit stiff’ she then headed off out of his vision ‘Can you please close your eyes? as I need to dress myself in something else than these bloody rags’

He complied and several minutes later she stood beside him ‘You can open your eyes’ she was wearing a simple green shirt with slightly torn borders ‘You have been placed in my tent since your wounds were the most severe, and I’ve had to tend to your wounds almost all night’ she sat down calmly and he noticed she had a piece of bread in her hands, which she slowly started to eat ‘In case you were wondering, you have been out for a little over a day and a half. After you and Malenwen rescued us..’ she paused ‘Thank the divines for that’ she sighed and continued ‘After you rescued us, we carried you to the cave where the survivors were sheltering. After a few hours, when the rain had put out most of the flames in the town we moved back into the town during the night to get behind what remained of the walls. We set up some tents with whatever fabric survived the fires’ she put down her bread and started to drink water from a small flask ‘You’ve been in here ever since, half a night, a day, and another night. I suspect your senses started to return to you early in the afternoon’ she smiled ‘If you are wondering why Henrik and Malenwen haven’t visited yet, they have gone out to rescue another group of villagers which were captured by bandits on the road. Junius forbade all others to visit you until you had recovered’ she was silent for a moment ‘I understand you grew up here, in Rivercrest? Or what remains of it’

He blinked twice.

‘I see’ She continued eating her bread ‘I only moved here two years ago, from High Rock. The town needed a new Alchemist and I was looking for work’ she then looked at his face ‘I understood from Malenwen your name is Framir?’

He blinked twice.

‘A strong, Nordic name’ She smiled ‘Were your parents from Skyrim?’

He blinked once.

‘Ah’ She took a sip of her water ‘I suppose I’d better question you once you have retained some of your vocal abilities’ she stood up after finishing her bread ‘Anyway, my name is Lea, I’m the town Alchemist… but I suppose I already told you that’ she examined his legs, his feet and toes in particular. ‘Can you attempt moving your toes?’

He tried but there was no response.

‘I see, that’s a shame’ She pressed her lips together tightly ‘But it was to be expected’ she then focussed on his face again ‘Can you swallow?’

He tried, and with a lot of effort was able to swallow weakly. He then blinked twice.

‘Good’ She frowned ‘You must be hungry, and thirsty’

He blinked twice again.

‘Well, I’m afraid food may be too much for your body in it’s current state. Perhaps tomorrow, around noon. The human body can survive without food for up to a week so you should be fine. Water however, is another story. But I think your body will be able to stomach it. She took up the small flask and came close to his face ‘Are you ready to drink?’

He blinked twice.

‘Good’ she slightly opened his mouth with her right thumb and index finger ‘Prepare yourself, I will only pour in small amounts’

The next fifteen minutes or so were the equivalent of hell as Lea poured small amounts of water into his mouth, only for him to almost choke on every batch until with great effort he was able to swallow them down. When the flask was empty he felt exhausted, but saw Lea smiling ‘Are you feeling better? Or, at least, less thirsty?’

He blinked twice.

‘Good’ She stretched her arms and yawned. ‘I told Junius you were awake, I suspect him here any minute now. But he too has been incredibly busy, the major died in the fire and so did most of the town Elders. So as the sole remaining Elder, most look to him for leadership right now’ she once again sat down next to his bed ‘Do you want me to talk some more before sleep?’

He blinked twice.

‘That’s what I suspected, being paralyzed is extremely boring… and a bit scary’ she looked at his face, trying to see something in his eyes ‘I’ve only been paralyzed once, as a child. I was stupid enough to fall of a bridge in Wayrest, the city where I was born’ she laughed softly ‘I had broken several ribs, and like you, cracked my spine. As a child I was far weaker than you, and I was out for several days until I was able to swallow… I almost died of malnourishment. But I regained my swallow capabilities just in time’ she pat him on the chest ‘So, if anything you are lucky’

Before she could say anything else she turned her head at something outside of his vision ‘Ah, Junius, there you are’

‘Good evening miss Jeanne, how is Framir?’

‘He’s doing well, I was able to help him drink some water’ Framir saw Junius enter his vision, after which both bowed over him ‘He has regained most of his cognitive abilities it seems, and he can blink. You can ask him yes or no questions, two blinks means yes, one means no’

‘I see’ Old Junius said as he stroked his chin ‘Well, I am glad you survived. Is what miss Jeanne said true, Framir, are you feeling well?’

He blinked twice.

‘Very good’ Junius smiled at Lea ‘Once more you are invaluable to our town and it’s people, dear’

‘Just trying to do my job’ Lea said with a smile ‘Is there any news on Henrik and Malenwen? I’m sure Framir here would like to know’

He blinked twice again.

‘Ah yes’ Junius started ‘Henrik and Malenwen were both in healthy condition after you returned, they told us you were trying to take on a couple dozen goblins all by yourself, is that true?’

He blinked twice.

‘I see, well then we are fortunate you aren’t dead yet’ Junius frowned ‘But I digress, Henrik and Malenwen went after some bandits which captured some of our neighbors on the road after they fled the town. Among them Saashi, our town loremaster, she’d been investigating the history of our town and the statue of our founder in the months before the fire. I think her research could be very important to finding out what caused the flames once we are ready to investigate it’ he sat down on Lea’s chair ‘We don’t know how far the bandits took them, we only know they got kidnapped and then carried off. It’s very possible it might be a few days until they return’ he smiled ‘But I had to give you the message that both of them were very happy to see you again. As for the town, we are currently trying to repair the few buildings that were still in a somewhat acceptable state… it isn’t much, but it might provide the survivors with a waterproof roof above their head. Right now we are living in tents, and the moment the rain returns we will all be soaked immediately’ he sighed ‘What else… what else? Oh! Right, you are currently in miss Lea Jeanne’s tent, because she had to tend to your wounds. I expect you to be on your best behavior’

Lea laughed ‘So far he’s behaved, hasn’t moved an inch in fact’

‘Very good’ Junius laughed slightly ‘I hope to see you recover quickly, Framir’ he looked at Lea ‘How long until he’ll be back on his feet?’

‘A couple of days, I suspect. I think his speech might have partially returned by tomorrow evening, maybe earlier’

‘Ah, that is good’ Junius smiled ‘I will be back tomorrow, take good care of him miss Jeanne’

‘You know I will’

At that, Junius left the tent and Lea once again sat down on his bedside ‘I wonder what your story is…’ she examined the scars on his body once more ‘Malenwen told us you didn’t want to talk about it, so I suspect it’s something painful’

He closed his eyes,

‘Ah’ She smiled as he opened them again ‘Don’t worry, you don’t have to talk about it, in fact, you can’t yet’ she slightly chuckled and stood up, yawning ‘I am quite tired, is there anything I can do for you before we go to sleep?’

He blinked once.

‘Good’ She then disappeared from his vision ‘Give me a few seconds to get ready for bed, then we can talk some more until it’s time to sleep’

It took her a little under fifteen minutes to get ready and light some candles, as it had become significantly darker in the small tent. She then sat back down at his bedside ‘I don’t know whether you appreciate all my blabbering, but I do remember how scary it was to be paralyzed as a child… it’s probably the scariest thing that has happened to me, and all I thought about back then was that I wish someone would talk to me, other than the healer asking me whether I was still doing fine or not’ she sighed ‘So I try to do what I can, do you want me to talk some more?’

He blinked twice.

‘Alright then’ she smiled and bit her lower lip slightly in thought. She then told him of her childhood in Wayrest, how after the accident at the bridge she’d studied to become a healer, eventually specializing in alchemy. She told him of how after her studies she journeyed across Skyrim and Cyrodiil, until the war broke out. She had enlisted herself in the legion as a healer. Even after the war she had remained with the legion, healing the wounded and tending to those with a long term recovery, until one day she came across Rivercrest, where the town alchemist had perished during a flu outbreak. So she decided to settle here, quickly finding her place and getting accepted by the villagers as she cured their illnesses.

Her story had been long, and a great distraction. When she was finished she stretched her arms and yawned deeply ‘Oh my, I’ve been talking far longer than I intended to. It’s time for you to sleep now, you need rest’ she yawned again ‘You and me both it seems’ she pat him on the chest ‘Good night, if you need anything during the night give me a ca-’ she thought about it for some time ‘Well, uhm… just try to save it till the morning, okay?’ she laughed slightly ‘Good night’

He blinked twice, and then heard her quickly go to sleep. He also closed his eyes, and before long was lost in dreams.

The next morning began great, Lea helped him to some more water and he was able to wiggle his toes and fingertips. In addition to that he was also able to feel some of the muscles in his nose and forehead. His mouth was still extremely stiff, and not easily moved. But Lea assured him that would likely come over the course of the coming day.

The second half of the morning consisted of what was likely the most embarrassing thing he’d ever been through. While he couldn’t feel or control his body, it still mostly functioned and still needed to secrete it’s waste. Lea needed to help him with it and assured him multiple times that as a medical professional she didn’t mind, but to him it felt overly embarrassing.

Lea was gone for most of the afternoon, tending to villagers. When she returned again his control had significantly improved. He could now easily move his toes and form his hands into fists again, be it weak firsts.

‘Very good’ Lea said smiling as she helped him practice his fist ‘Now try talking, you can move your mouth but you haven’t uttered a word yet’

He breathed in deeply, still only able to gaze at the ceiling of the tent ‘Aaa… ‘ he uttered faintly ‘Ahy…. Ay… I…’ he breathed in deeply ‘... I… V… V-eel’ his mouth was extremely stiff, and the letters and sounds produced by it seemed numb as he couldn’t move his tongue a lot yet ‘... I… Veel… Vetter…’ he had great trouble pronouncing the letter F and B, both sounding like exaggerated V’s ‘S..ank.. you… vor.. dending… zo me’

‘This is good, Framir!’ Lea laughed ‘I could almost understand that’ she bowed over him ‘Were you trying to say “Thank you for tending to me”?’

‘Y-...es’ he said with great effort. His voice sounded off, and rough. As if half of his vocal cords were still disabled, which was probably true.

‘Well it’s my pleasure’ she smiled ‘But now rest again, while it can be tempting to try and speak it must cost you an immense effort, so try not to talk too much’

‘V..ud… I zhou-’

‘No, you shouldn’t talk more’ She crossed her arms with an amused smile ‘Practice won’t help, your paralysis is caused by a potent poison so there is nothing else for you to do than wait until it’s worn off’ she looked at the tent’s entrance ‘I suspect your vocal cords and mouth muscles might be further restored in a few hours. For now, try to be silent and save your energy’

‘O-vey’

‘What did I tell you’ She laughed ‘It’s no use trying to speak now’ she pat him on the chest ‘Do you have enough control over your mouth muscles and tongue to chew on light food?’

He blinked once.

‘Ah, are you hungry?’

He blinked twice.

‘Okay, let me make something for you that is easy to digest. Your swallowing mechanism is in a good enough condition for it, and this afternoon we got a shipment of supplies from a neighboring town that had some fruit in it’ He saw her disappear from his vision and a little over five minutes later came back into the tent ‘Alright, it’s not ideal, but I have something for you’ he heard the sound of something squishy being mashed to pulp with an alchemical mortar and pestle and a few minutes later Lea came back into his vision with a small bowl ‘In this bowl is some cucumber, I mashed it to pulp… so it might not be the best in terms of.. well… everything. But it should be easily digestible, and should relieve you momentarily of your hunger.

She helped him eat the cucumber pulp, the substance was slimy and not at all tasty. But after a little more than three days without food it still tasted like fresh sweetrolls. After the cucumber she helped him drink some more water before once more heading out to tend to some of the town’s wounded.

When Lea was gone Framir kept trying to move the muscles in his mouth, moving his tongue in particular got a lot easier as the hours progressed. When the sun had long since disappeared and the tent was engulfed in darkness he started to wonder when Lea would return. He didn’t have to wait long, as less than two hours after sunset she returned, looking exhausted.

He had regained enough control over the muscles in his hand to raise his hand up from the makeshift bed in a weak greeting.

‘Hey’ He heard her reply to the greeting ‘Sorry for taking so long, but some of the townsfolk’s wounds have started to infect so I needed to make some additional medicine’ she headed over to a corner of the tent ‘Close your eyes please’

He complied, and two minutes later she told him to open them again. She was wearing the same outfit she had when he had woken up, but now cleaned ‘Have you tested your speech yet?’

He blinked once.

‘Good’ She approached him and felt his neck with her index finger, poking slightly into the vocal cords ‘All seems to be in order, try saying something’

‘S.. Something’ He muttered weakly with a slight smile, it had cost him great effort as he hadn’t regained full control over all the muscles in his mouth yet and spoke with a small lisp.

She slightly smiled ‘We’ve got a funny one I see’ she then felt his neck again ‘But it seems all is in order, how is your mouth? Does it still feel stiff?’

‘Yeah’ He made some exaggerated movements with his mouth and then spoke again, slowly, trying to articulate the words correctly despite the missing muscle power ‘I feel as if half the muscles are still out, specifically in the back of my throat. It feels as if there is a constant lump in it’ after the long sentence he gasped for air as it had his muscles in his throat burning intensely.

‘That’s normal’ Lea smiled and indicated with a movement of her finger to open his mouth ‘Hold still, okay?’ she used one finger to delicately poke his tongue on the middle of the central muscle, and then did the same to the main senews of the mouth ‘Okay, all seems to be in order, you are recovering quite nicely’ She then took his hand and felt the pulse ‘How’s your hand movement?’

‘Good’ He tried forming a fist and raise it slightly ‘I.. I seem to slowly get the control back, I can tense most of the muscles up to my elbow, but I can’t raise my arms yet’ he gasped for air and then slowly continued ‘Same goes for my feet and knees’

‘I see’ Lea slowly used her left hand to feel his legs ‘I think that should be back in the morning, have you tried moving your head?’

‘Not yet’ He tried and felt that about half of the muscles in his neck were functioning, causing him to slowly, but steadily move his head a bit to the right and then back to the left. The movement cost an enormous amount of energy as the majority of the required muscles were still out of working order.

‘That is very good, Framir’ Lea used her hands to carefully straighten his head again ‘Try that again tomorrow morning when most of the functions will have returned’

‘Okay’ He sighed, trying his facial muscles again ‘Any chance you have more of that cucumber stuff? I am still quite hungry’

‘Oh, of course’ She nodded ‘I’ll check if they have some more fruit or something else that is easily digestible’

‘Thanks’

Lea quickly went out, leaving him alone once again, only to return several minutes later. ‘I’ve got an apple for you, do you think you can get it down if I cut it in small pieces’

‘No other way to find out than to try’ He smiled ‘Thanks, Lea’

‘No problem’ She smiled and quickly cut down the apple in several little pieces. A few minutes later she returned to his bedside with a small bowl filled with apple pieces ‘Alright, let’s try this, if they are too big I can cut them into even smaller pieces’

‘Thank you’ He smiled ‘Sorry to be such a bother, I’d love to do it myself bu-’

‘Don’t worry about that’ She smiled and carefully picked an apple piece ‘It’s my job, and considering you saved my life I’m more than willing to help’

She carefully fed him the apple piece, it was soft and easy to chew, even with his limited muscle tension. He swallowed it and smiled ‘This is perfect, thank you’

‘Good’ She smiled as she absently fed him another piece ‘I’m glad you are recovering so quickly’

‘So am I’ he said after swallowing another piece ‘Say, how’s the town faring?’

‘Not so great’ She said with a sad smile ‘As I said, some people’s wounds are quite severe.. but most of them will live’ she sighed after feeding him another piece ‘The structural damage to the buildings however, is far greater than previously thought. Only a few houses on the southern edge of the town can be saved, but considering it’s occupants have died during all of the chaos, Junius has prioritized the building of a new Town hall, a building big enough to move the people’s cots and beds into. From what he told me earlier, they expect to be done with it tomorrow morning, and those in the worst conditions will be allowed to move in first’ she gave him another piece and then quickly took one for herself with a wink ‘Unfortunately we are not among those, as you are recovering quite well and we have one of the more solid tents’ she sighed ‘Other than that, they are planning to build some additional buildings. The town’s lumber mill survived as it stood several hundred meters away from the town, and most able bodies are helping the Matius family to cut and process the logs. But the town is short on manpower if anything, so construction and resource gathering is going slowly. Lond, the town blacksmith, one of the people you saved, needs to make all metal components by himself on a provisional anvil for example.’ she then smiled ‘But, fortunately, some of the wounded I treated were able to get back to working in some shape or form and thus we’ll expect faster construction soon.’

‘Haven’t you received any aid from outside?’

‘We have’ She nodded ‘The nearby village of Edgewater has donated a part of their harvest, and several of their guards went with Henrik and Malenwen, but other than that there aren’t any villages in the vicinity’

‘What about the Empire?’

‘Hah’ She laughed slightly as she fed him another apple piece ‘The Emperor has never had any direct authority over this region, as you know, we’re part of the Bloodfall Kingdom, an imperial vassal state. I doubt the emperor even knows of what happened here, and I doubt the queen will lend us any aid either, considering it was her men who caused all this mayhem in the first place’

‘Right..’ he said after swallowing down the final piece ‘Once I’m able I’ll help with construction, when do you think I’ll be in a good state for physical labour?’

‘Not for two more days, I think’ She bit her lower lip in thought and felt his limbs again ‘I think you may be able to walk tomorrow in the afternoon… if a bit unsteady.. But I’d recommend resting until at least a few days have passed, and no physical labour for at least three to four days’

‘But I’d like to help, especially if the town is in such a bad shape’

‘Well’ She pondered the idea for a while ‘You could help me treat the wounded, that doesn’t require a lot of muscle power’ she put away the now empty bowl ‘Do you have any healing experience?’

‘Some’ He confirmed ‘I know some limited healing spells, and I know how to prevent infections, that kind of stuff’

‘Oh?’ she raised a brow ‘In that case I would be very grateful if you could assist me, as only old Guthrum, the priest, and I have some healing capabilities’

‘Sure, I’ll help’

‘Only after you have regained full control’ She smiled ‘It can be tempting to try out your body as quickly as you can. But you need to be careful, and give it plenty of rest, okay?’

‘Okay, I will’

‘Good’

After this exchange both of them quickly went to sleep as both of them were exhausted. The following morning it turned out Lea had been right. He had far greater control over the muscles in his mouth, and could once again talk normally. In addition to that he now had full control over the muscles in his neck, and was able to use all the muscles in his arms and legs up to his elbows and knees respectively. Now that he was able to use his arms and legs in a limited fashion, Lea helped him sit down in a small chair she had brought into the tent from the village. Even though he had limited control, he was able to use his arms to eat and drink independently, but still under Lea’s supervision in case his muscles would give out. But no such thing happened, and he and Lea were able to have a light breakfast together.

In the subsequent day, as Lea was out tending to the wounded, he slowly felt the control over more of his muscles returning. The medicinal poison’s effects which had kept him paralyzed now rapidly started to wear off. And as noon passed he was able to fully stretch his arms and legs again with some effort. In addition to that he started feeling the muscles on his torso again and by the end of the afternoon was able to slightly tense them. The recovery was going far quicker than Lea had originally anticipated, and while he still didn’t feel most of his torso, by the end of the day, as he had gotten awfully bored by the chair, he decided to do something quite risky.

He breathed in deeply through his nose, gathering all the strength he could. He placed both his hands on the armrests of his chair and tried to put his feet as firmly on the ground as he could. He once more breathed in and out deeply, and then tensed the muscles in his arms and legs as far as he could, trying to stand up. He slowly rose from the chair, trying to hold balance with his arms, which seemed to have far more strength in them than his legs.

He used the strength in his arms to stretch his legs completely and then slowly let go off the chair, standing on his legs.

‘ _Alright, let’s do this’_

He fixated his gaze on a small table in the far end of the tent, beyond Lea’s bedroll and sack of belongings. On top of the table lay most of his belongings, his clothes, sword and backpack. Slowly but steadily he made his way to the table, leaning on the pillars holding up the tents and the improvised bed cot he’d spent the last few days on in order to keep himself steady. He almost stumbled twice, but managed to regain his balance by remembering some of the balance lessons from his training at Cloud Ruler Temple, leading him to the table without falling over. He leaned on the table using the strength in his left arm and studied his backpack, it seemed unopened.

_‘Good’_

In his backpack he’d kept the last memory of his former life with the Blades, a small amulet featuring a set of crossed Akaviri daggers.

_‘I should get rid of you if I am to live here permanently from now on..’_ He frowned as he balanced the amulet in his right hand _‘I should have rid myself of you at Snowline like the others…’_ he closed his fist around the amulet and then quickly put it back in his bag. He then looked at his clothes _‘I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to put them on myself’_ up until now, all he’d been wearing was a grey short, serving as undergarments. And as the feelings in his muscles returned, so did his perception of hot and cold, and there was one thing certain, the air in the tent was far from warm.

He started with his trousers, they were clean and a few of the gashes in the fabric had been repaired by the villagers. He smiled as he put them on with great effort, continuously leaning on his arms and keeping at least one leg fully stretched. It took him the better part of five minutes to get his trousers fully up. He was panting from exhaustion and breathed quickly, but he refused to stop now.

He grabbed his tunic, a simple thick dark grey shirt with fur lining on the borders for warmth isolation. He was glad it seemed mostly undamaged as it had cost him a good handful of Septims with a traveling trader last fall, when he had needed warm clothing for the upcoming winter.

_‘Okay, steady now’_

He carefully raised one of his arms and then closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He then also raised the other in an attempt to pull the tunic over his head. It almost worked, but unfortunately his head got stuck as he was trying to pull the thing over it. This sudden obstacle threw him off balance, and with his arms stuck facing upward he felt his body start to tumble backwards.

_‘Well, fuck’_

But before he could fall over completely he felt soft hands on his back and side ‘Careful, warrior’ Lea’s hands steadied him and helped him pull the tunic over his head and torso. Now once again supported by his arms he carefully turned around to face her, he’d been so captivated by the shirt that he hadn’t heard her enter. When he faced her he noticed he stood at about a head taller than her, causing him to slightly bow his head down in order to look into her dark eyes. Confronted by her gaze he smiled sheepishly ‘Thanks for the help’

‘Didn’t I tell you to stay in the chair?’ She looked at him with a playful frown, but then smiled broadly ‘But it seems you aren’t really one for listening, are you?’

‘Heh’ He smiled ‘I was cold’

‘Yeah’ she yawned ‘I agree, it’s pretty cold’ she then looked at him again ‘Can you walk to your own bed? Or do you need support?’

He breathed in deeply, concentrating on his strength ‘I think I can do it’ he then carefully took a few steps as Lea cautiously looked on from in front of him, ready to support him if need be. He was about halfway when the strength in his legs finally finally gave way. He stumbled and started to tumble forward before he could ask Lea for help, but she’d been looking out for him and managed to catch him in her arms before he fell.

She struggled with his weight as she tried putting him back on his feet ‘Normally-.. hggn’ she grunted as her legs bowed down under his weight ‘Normally men at least have the common courtesy to buy me something at the tavern before falling in my arms’ she laughed as he got a hold of one of the tent’s pillars and was finally able to stabilize himself again.

‘Sorry about that’ He said as he was breathing quickly ‘and in my defense… I don’t think the town’s tavern is still in business’ he said as he finally sat down on his improvised cot ‘I..’ he began before catching his breath ‘I overestimated my own strength’

‘Did you now?’ she winked and then walked over to the tent’s entrance, where she had put down her bag ‘I brought some vegetables and water, as I still needed to eat. And I presume you also haven’t had anything yet’

‘I can definitely go for some fresh carrots’

‘Too bad’ she laughed ‘You’ll have to make do with three day old cabbage’ she fetched half a cabbage from her bag and used a knife she took from her bag to cut it in two. ‘Let’s test your motor functions, catch!’

She threw the cabbage towards him with a slight arch. He stretched his left arm and managed to catch it.

‘Nice catch’ She sat down next to him as she took a bite of her own cabbage ‘I’m amazed by how well you are recovering, your body is strong’

‘It’d better be’ He took a bite and smiled ‘I’ve been training for the better part of the last twelve years’

‘You were in the legion, right?’ Lea asked as she stood up to get them some water ‘Malenwen told me’

‘Something like that, yeah’ He frowned ‘That being said, has there been any news on Henrik and Maly?’

‘Maly?’ Lea laughed as she said back down ‘I’ve never heard anyone call her _that._ But, yeah. Some of the villagers they went to rescue returned today to bring us news. The majority of the villagers are still with them as they are travelling slowly by cart, as they have some wounded with them.’

‘Ah, that’s good to hear’ He took the water flask from her when she offered it to him and took a large sip ‘Malenwen and I grew up together back in the day, that’s what I used to call her’ he smiled ‘She detests it, though’

Lea let out a chuckle ‘Yes, I can imagine that’ she smiled, looking at the edge of the tent lost in thought ‘To get back on point, if your recovery progresses as rapidly as it has so far I think we should head out of the tent tomorrow, I think you’ll enjoy seeing the sky again’

‘You have no idea how much I’ve come to hate the color of this tent’ He chuckled ‘I considered walking out first, but I figured the villagers didn’t need to see me bare chested’

‘I agree’ She smiled ‘If you want, we can head out now. We’ve got a few rays of sunlight left, and I think Junius will be happy to see you outside’

‘He hasn’t come to visit anymore, how is he doing?’

‘He’s mostly just tired, he’s been leading the villagers to the best of his capabilities’ Lea crossed her legs and smiled ‘The provisional town hall got completed today, and a several dozen survivors have been able to find shelter within’ she yawned ‘They’re now rebuilding some houses around it in the center of the town in order to get as many villagers out of their tents’ she then quickly sprang up and took him by the arm ‘But come, I’ll show you, are you up for it?’

‘Yeah’ he smiled ‘Let’s try, I hope my legs hold out this time’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll support you, come’

He carefully stood up, and leaning on Lea’s shoulder headed out of the tent. The world outside seemed almost surreal, the tent stood amidst a group of tents in front of the town’s main gate around the town’s central fountain, which had been severely damaged during the catastrophe. All the buildings surrounding the square had either fully collapsed or had some walls left standing. The rain of a few days ago had washed away most of the ash, but whatever wood was left standing had been severely charred and looked unstable.

‘Come, we’ll go to the town hall. Junius will likely be around there. We’ll have to scale the town hill, but you can lean on me, okay?’

‘Alright’

They carefully walked amidst the ruins of the town, careful not to make Framir stumble or lose his balance. Some townsfolk looked up as they passed, greeting them calmly as most were fixated on their business. Most, if not all of the townsfolk were trying to pitch in with the restoration. Some were helping out with the physical labor by carrying logs from the town’s entrance to the square, others were helping tend the wounded, mend ripped or partially burned clothes, prepare food, supervise the survivor’s children or help with the rebuilding effort. Fortunately for the town, most of the farms in the surrounding area had survived the disaster, meaning the food production was slowly getting back on track and some of the surviving animals from the town could be sheltered.

They slowly ascended the steps to the town hill in order to reach the new town hall and the current construction area. It took them a while as Framir needed to catch his breath once halfway, but in the end they managed to reach the top. They noticed that, as the sun was setting, several townsfolk started lighting makeshift torches around the town’s central square. Within the orange glow of the setting sun he saw the fruits of the town’s labor, the new town hall, while a bit primitive, was quite big and looked solid. It had a large ground floor, with walls created out of wood and recycled stone, most of the ground floor was capped off by a pointed roof with several dormers on the side. In the middle of the long stretched building there was a flat piece of roof, likely intended for the construction of a tower in classic Cyrodiilic fashion. In most towns the tower on a town hall would serve as the residence of a mayor, but seeing as the town had lost it’s mayor, the construction of the tower had likely been postponed in order to see to more pressing matters.

Around the town hall there were a dozen villagers working on smaller buildings, either building new structures or demolishing the ruins of the old ones, harvesting the stones for the new construction projects.

In the middle of the square they saw Junius, talking with a dark haired nord bearing a large gruffy moustache. As old Junius saw them approach he smiled and turned towards the approaching Framir and Lea ‘Ah! I see you are recovering quite quickly Framir, splendid, splendid!’

‘Yeah’ Framir said with a slight smile, trying to catch his breath ‘I haven’t regained full control just yet, but I’d gotten sick of that tent’

‘Oh I can imagine that’ Junius smiled and then looked at Lea ‘Miss Jeanne, how long do you think before he’s fully back on his feet’

‘Hard to say’ Lea frowned as she helped Framir sit down on a large block of stone amidst the piles of construction resources ‘So far he’s recovered far quicker than I could have anticipated, if he continues at this rate he might be walking independently again tomorrow, perhaps fully recovered the day after that’ she smiled ‘And you can stop with the “Miss Jeanne”, just Lea is fine, Junius’

‘I know.. I know… But it feels rude of me to address a master in her trade so familiarly’ He smiled ‘Anyway, I am glad to hear the recovery is going so well as we can use every able body right now’ he turned to the nord next to him, who had so far been silent ‘Lond, this is Framir, old Gordir’s boy. He and Malenwen saved you from the fort with miss Jeanne’

‘Truly? That was you who jumped in front of those Goblins?’ the nord laughed hard as he hit Framir on the shoulder ‘Looking on from those cages it seemed like you had a suicide wish, still glad you did it though’ he looked at Lea ‘You really saved our skin there, so thank the divines for your intervention’

‘I was just trying to help’ Framir smiled ‘Lond, is it?’

‘Yep! The one and only, I’m the blacksmith of this little hamlet’ He scratched his head with a chuckle ‘Although most of what I do now is repair old nails and bolts’

‘Which is admirable, and necessary’ Junius commented as he sat down next to Framir.

‘I know, old man. But I’ll be looking forward to the day I’ve got my own smithy again and when I’m once more able to work on weaponry’

‘Don’t we all?’ Lea said with a sigh ‘I reckon it will also be a while until my shop is rebuilt, but for now we’ll have to do what we can’

‘Aye’ Lond looked at Junius ‘But as I was saying, I think it could be wise to get at least a provisional smithy up and running. Not only could I manufacture new construction materials, I could also repair the town protector’s swords’

‘It’s not like there’s many of them left, only old Henrik and Malenwen survived the fight with those mercenaries’ Junius said as he rubbed his temples ‘There is so much left to do, Lond. As soon as the villagers are sheltered we can think of rebuilding the smithy’

‘Aye, as usual you are right, old man’ He frowned ‘But I’m soon going to need an actual anvil. These pieces of junk metal I’m using now keep breaking under even the slightest pressure trying to straighten a nail’

‘We’ll see what we can do’

‘I’m sorry to intervene’ Framir started ‘But you said only Henrik and Malenwen were left as protectors, as soon as I’m back on my feet I’d love to teach the people of the town some of the basics of combat, and of course help with the town’s protection myself’

‘That would be very welcome’ Junius nodded with a smile ‘Were you planning on settling here, then?’

‘Yea’ He nodded ‘I’ve seen my fair share of problems and I had hoped to start a calm life here, away from the empire, the legion and everything else’

‘I see’ Lond nodded with a frown ‘Well, you are very welcome’ he pointed towards the eastern side of the town ‘The house where your parents lived until a few years ago still stood vacant, most of their possessions had been stored in the basement of the house. I don’t know how much of it survived, considering the entire building has collapsed. But perhaps we can soon try to find out and build you a new house there once the air here has been cleared’

‘Thank you, Junius. I’ll also try to help with the rebuilding efforts as soon as I can, maybe tomor-’

‘Tomorrow’ Lea interjected him ‘Tomorrow Framir here still needs to rest, give his body time to recover’ she looked at him with an expression that held a mix of scorning and amusement ‘If, and only if, Framir feels well enough, he may be allowed to help me tend to the wounded by doing some low effort tasks. But anything else could be irresponsible’

‘I trust miss Jeanne’s judgement’ Junius said with an amused chuckle ‘Keep me posted on your recovery, and as soon as miss Jeanne deems you in working condition we can talk about you helping out with the town’

‘Fine’ He looked at Lea, who seemed very amused ‘Will I be allowed to stay in your tent for the time being, or now that I am somewhat independent do I need to move out?’

‘I suppose all little birds should leave the nest at some point’ Lea winked ‘But for now you can stay with me, I’d like to monitor your recovery. And I suppose I’ve had worse company, so feel free to stay with me for a bit longer’

‘Thank you, Lea’

They stayed with Lond and Junius for a bit longer, talking about the town’s development and prospects for the future. Both Lea and Junius asked him why he’d come to the town, but he attempted to stay vague and dodge the question as much as he could. He kept insisting he’d simply come for the ‘peace and quiet’, which wasn’t technically wrong. After about half an hour he went back to Lea’s tent, once again leaning on her for support for most of the walk. By the end, he was exhausted and both of them quickly made ready for bed, quickly falling asleep within the hour.

The next day was mostly uneventful, the control in his muscles had improved dramatically and he was able to walk independently once more. He sometimes slightly stumbled, but he was able to balance himself without too much effort. In the morning, he and Lea had breakfast together after which he accompanied her to the town hall where she, and the old priest Guthrum tended to the wounded. The amount of wounded in the provisional infirmary had already drastically declined as a lot of villagers had already recovered, and only those requiring long term treatment were now left in the town hall. Framir spent most of the day helping Lea mix potions, while his alchemical skills weren’t anything to boast about he picked up quite a few new tricks from Lea and was able to competently help her brew pain relieving potions and mix some burn alleviating concoctions. By the end of the day he had almost completely regained control over his body and was able to use his reflexes to quickly catch a potion vial from falling from Lea’s hands as she’d been startled by the sound of some dropping stones outside. He’d also tested his magical abilities, while it cost him more energy than usual he was able to quickly close incisions Lea and Guthrum had to make in the patients’ flesh, which saved them the effort of using potions. With the recovery progressing so quickly he made arrangements with Junius to start helping out with the rebuilding effort the next day.

When the sun started setting he and Lea had a small dinner, sitting outside the city center on top of some ruins next to the main road, observing the goings on. The Matius family who ran the lumber mill had pulled their efforts to make a small kart, with it, the villagers were able to hasten the incoming supply of lumber and the increased optimism for it on people’s faces worked contagiously.

‘So, after tomorrow I’ll likely be fully recovered’ He smiled as he took a bite of some fresh bread supplied by one of the surrounding farms ‘Thank you for all that you did for me, Lea’ he stretched his legs in front of him ‘I know I’ve been a bit burdensome’

‘That’s okay’ she smiled ‘Believe it or not, but having your company has been quite helpful over the past week’ she took a sip of her water ‘I was so busy worrying for you and the townsfolk that I didn’t have time to feel depressed about the fact that my house and shop are completely destroyed’ she sighed ‘But seeing how well the town is banding together.. it gives me hope, you know?’

‘I know what you mean’ He smiled, looking at the people crossing the road, carrying building materials ‘Where was your shop?’

‘Over there, in the lower part of town’ she pointed at a section east of town, close to the walls.

‘Have you been there since everything went down?’

‘Only once’ she nodded ‘Just after the fire… it… well, it was hard to look at’ she bit her lower lip as she closed her eyes ‘The entire roof has collapsed on the shop, and I recon everything inside has also either burned or has been broken. It’s a safe bet my potion books from home have likely all burned to a crisp.. but I have some hope my necklace might have survived. That, and those books are the only memories I have of home, of Wayrest’

‘We can go look, if you want?’ he stretched his arms and slightly tenses his muscles to test his control ‘I’ve got most of my strength back and we might be able to find it’

‘It’s no use’ Lea shrugged ‘Because I used a lot of fire in my brewing I was one of the few to have a brick roof, the entire roof collapsed, so I doubt we’ll be able to find anything’

‘Well’ He got up from the rock they’d been sitting on ‘Only one way to find out, are you coming?’

She looked at him and then slightly chuckled ‘Sure, I’ll show you where it is, or well, was’

They finished their meal while walking down the ruined streets of the town. As they entered the lower district they no longer encountered any people as most had gathered in the center and the square in front of the gates. It was quiet, with only the chirping of a lone bird to pierce the silence. The orange glow of the setting sun over the town walls gave all the ruins a strangely beautiful look, as if pulled directly from a painting.

When they reached Lea’s house, or rather what was left of it, he saw she’d been right. The entire brick roof had collapsed when the wooden beams holding it up had burned down. The thin brick walls of the building, which had been reinforced with wood had been severely damaged and ripped apart by the force of the falling roof and the damage to the wooden reinforcements.

‘By the divines’ Framir muttered ‘You were right, this seems to be worse than I had suspected’

‘Told you so’ She smiled sadly ‘Maybe somewhere in the coming months we’ll get to tearing down the ruins and rebuilding it, but for now it’s best left like this I think’

‘Hmhm’ He walked closer to the ruins, trying to look through the collapsed doorway ‘I can see…’ he squinted his eyes, trying to see in the fading light of the sun ‘I can see some charred books and broken vials on the floor beneath the bricks’ he looked over at her, she was standing close to him, also trying to gaze into the ruins.

‘I can’t see a thing, the shadows are too dark and there is too little light’

‘Wait’ He said, closing his eyes and concentrating on the spell he had in mind. He’d only used it a few times, years ago and he tried to remember the exact way to cast it. Eventually he breathed in deeply and released the energy, a weak ball of light sprung from his right hand and glided itself into the ruins ‘Sorry, it’s a bit weak. Magic was never really my strong suit, unfortunately’ he pointed at the ground ‘But do you see that book? It seems to still be in acceptable condition, it’s just the cover that is charred. But we’d better get it out, before it will sustain any more water damage than it likely already has’

‘I doubt it’s still readable, but you’re right. Let’s try to recover it’ Lea carefully stepped closed through the ruined doorway, crouching down in order to prevent bumping her head against a fallen wooden beam. She reached out her arms but wasn’t able to reach it through the chaos of fallen wood and stone ‘Damnit’ she sighed ‘It’s my copy of Alchemical Elixirs and Potions, if it’s still in any way legible I really want it back’

‘Wait, let me try’ he crouched down next to her and reached for the book, he was a bit longer and was able to nudge it slightly towards them with his fingertips, after which he was able to grab it and give it to her ‘Here you go, my lady’

‘Why thank you’ she chuckled as she examined the book in the dim light of the lighting spell ‘It seems you were right’ she flipped through some of the pages ‘It’s definitely damaged, and some pages are illegible. But most of the middle section of the book is still readable’ she turned to him and gave him a tight hug ‘Thank you, this was the first book I owned, it learned me a lot and it’s very dear to me’

‘No problem, I’m glad to help’ he then looked around after she’d released him ‘Can you see anything else that’s left?’

They spend the next fifteen minutes searching the ruins as best they could, finding several vials with potions that were either undamaged or cracked but still holding their contents. With the help of some simple kinetic magic, Framir was able to move some of the rubble, causing them to also find several tools Lea had used to make potions. They’d been able to explore about thirty percent of the house until Framir had become too exhausted from the spells to continue and they decided to turn back and return to Lea’s tent.

With the sun now set they walked through the dark streets of the abandoned ruins ‘So, now that I’m almost fully recovered, will this be my last night in the tent?’

‘Well..’ Lea smiled as she walked slightly in front of him ‘I suspect this will be the last night in the tent for me as well’ she pointed towards the illuminated town center ‘Tomorrow they will be completing two additional dwellings and I think both of us will be given a bed in there since there’s a good chance we’ll be getting rain again tomorrow’

‘I see’ Framir nodded with a slight smile ‘For what it’s worth, thanks again for everything you did for me’

She laughed as they walked back onto the main road, which was illuminated by several torches ‘Like I said, it’s my job’ she shrugged and chuckled ‘But I’m not gonna lie, you were pleasant company. So don’t be a stranger, okay?’

‘I won’t’ He smiled as they walked down the street towards the tent, ready to sleep and face the next day. Before they went to sleep they drank some makeshift tea, and reflected on the past couple of days. If anything, Framir was just happy he would finally be able to contribute to the town’s restoration. The past days had been long and trying in many ways, but soon he’d finally be back to his old self.

The next morning he and Lea were woken up by a rough voice shouting insults at Framir from outside their tent ‘Wake up you dunghead!’

Framir slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Lea’s bedrol, she was rubbing in her eyes and yawned. She then chuckled as she saw his sleepy face ‘I believe he’s here for you’

‘I guessed as much’ He said while suppressing a yawn ‘I’ll go see who it is’

‘Oh I know who it is’ she chuckled as she sat up, watching him get his sword ‘Just tell him to shut up and let me sleep a bit longer, will you?’

‘I will’ he smiled as he hurried himself towards the exit of the tent ‘I’ll come and help you move your belongings later today if you need help’

‘Thanks’ she smiled but then grimaced as the rough voice yelled “If you don’t get out here now, I’ll come in myself” Lea waved him away ‘Go, and tell him to let people enjoy their sleep’

He then stepped out of the tent and was greeted by the old face of Henrik Seven Swords, his old combat mentor. The old man was almost completely bald and had a long grey beard. Instead of the chainmail he had worn back at highwinter castle, he now wore an improvised bronze chestplate with several dents in it and leggings. The old man looked tired, but he also had a broad smile on his face as he closed the distance between them and roughly embraced Framir ‘Well, well, well. It’s been a long time’ he let go of the nord and took a step back ‘I was wondering when I’d see your ugly mug again’

Framir laughed, delighted to finally see his old mentor again in a setting where he wasn’t bleeding to death ‘It’s good to see you too, Henrik’

‘Don’t get too used to it’ The man said with a knock on his dented chestplate ‘I’m getting old, and this world keeps finding new ways to try and kill me!’

‘Hah’ Framir chuckled ‘That’ll be quite the day, the people over here seem convinced you aren’t even mortal, they say nothing can kill you’

‘Ehh, I’ve lived so far’ He motioned him to follow ‘Come, Malenwen is reporting to old Junius, she’s been worried sick, let’s show her that you are all up and running’ he studied Framir’s face as the two started walking towards the center ‘That said, how are you feeling, boy?’

‘Well enough’ Framir smiled and pounded a fist on his chest ‘I still have a weird tingle in my chest, indicating I’m not fully restored quite yet. But everything else is back in working order’

‘That’s good… that’s good’ Henrik said as he stroked his beard ‘You had me and Malenwen quite worried when you just jumped in front of those goblins, if she’d taken one second more to free all of us you’d be a goner’

‘Yeah…’ Framir sheepishly laughed, scratching his head with his left hand ‘It wasn’t one of my best decisions’

‘I think that’s an understatement’ The old warrior said laughing ‘But I see that dear Lea Jeanne patched you up quite well’

‘Aye, she did’ He swayed his arms to demonstrate ‘All good now’

‘Good’ The old warrior kept walking forward but lowered his voice slightly ‘Say, sonny, we need to talk soon’

‘Oh?’ Framir raised a brow ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing’ Henrik shook his head ‘But I need you to tell me something, and if my suspicions are true, we’d best talk about it as far from prying eyes and ears as possible?’

‘You peaked my attention now, what do you want to know?’

Henrik shook his head ‘Not here, not now’ he pointed at the town hall where Junius, Malenwen and several other people including a grey female Khajiit in blue robes were standing ‘Let’s first make sure Malenwen sees your face, she’ll be glad to know you are back in business’

At that, the two walked up to the group. Henrik had been right, Malenwen was overjoyed to see him and tightly hugged him when they approached ‘Gods, we’ve been worried about you’

‘Heh.. sorry about that, fortunately it all worked out in the end’ He nodded at Junius and the others ‘Good morning, sorry for interrupting, please, continue’

‘Oh, no don’t worry my boy’ Junius said with a smile ‘We were just finished, I pointed the rescued villagers to their new dwellings and made sure to welcome our loremaster back, which Henrik and Malenwen so gracefully rescued’

The grey Khajiit bowed to him ‘This one’s name is Saashi’ she looked at Junius and then back at Framir ‘Junius calls Khajiit loremaster, but this one is simply a history enthusiast’

‘Well, it is nice to meet you regardless, Saashi’ Framir also made a small bow ‘The name’s Framir’

‘Framir? You are the one who only recently returned, yes?’

‘That’s me’

‘With the introductions out of the way, I am just glad Saashi is back with us, no one has ever shared my love for this town and it’s history like she does’ Junius said with a smile ‘Framir, would you be so kind as to join Malenwen and Henrik to the south of town, Lond is hoping to recover his old Anvil from his shop, recovering it could be invaluable to the town, but it might need some muscle in order to recover it from the debris’

‘Sure thing’ He looked at Henrik and Malenwen ‘If we can’t lift the rubble I can always use magic to blow it away… I’m not too proficient, but some rubble should be easily cleared’

‘Good’ Junius nodded ‘In the meantime, Saashi here has agreed to continue to investigate what is left of the founder's statue. Perhaps she will be able to discover the reason for those unnatural flames, if one of you could join her when you are done helping Lond, that would be very helpful’

After agreeing that Malenwen would help out Saashi when they were done, the three of them made their way to the southern part of the town. As time progressed, the charred ruins started to fall into even further disrepair, with many already cracked pillars finally breaking, making it so that slowly but steadily almost all ruins became leveled. They passed several of the town’s children on the main road who were trying to entertain themselves by playing tag.

‘So carefree’ Malenwen said looking at the children ‘It’s as if they have no idea everything has been burned to shit, eventhough the evidence is all around them’

Henrik laughed ‘You’re not even old yet, but you are already bitter’ he pat her on the back ‘See it from the bright side, girl, all of the town is banding together to rebuild. Now that they’re all in the same boat, things now actually get done around here’ he then gave Framir a playful hit on the shoulder ‘And with Framir back with us, we’ll make the town even better than it was before’

‘That remains to be seen’ Malenwen sighed, but then smiled ‘But as usual, you are probably right, old man’

‘You bet I am’ Henrik laughed as they noticed Lond leaning against some ruins in the far end of the street they had just entered. Henrik waved at the man and let out his booming voice ‘Need some help, Blacksmith?!’

Lond looked up and smiled when he saw them approach ‘If it isn’t too much to ask, that is’ as they approached he pointed at the ruins ‘I kept my anvil in the workshop, which, as you can see is completely covered by debris’

It was true, like Lea, lond’s house had had a brick roof, which had now completely collapsed on the former structure. His roof had been larger, leading to the damage being far more severe than the damage at Lea’s place.

‘That’s gonna be a lot of work’ Malenwen observed ‘But I think with the four of us, we’ll get the anvil out in a couple of hours’

‘What are you saying, Malenwen?’ Henrik laughed and roughly pat her on the shoulder ‘We aren’t gonna do shit, I remember Framir here telling us he had magic to blow away the rubble’ he looked at Framir with an amused smile ‘So I was planning to sit back, and enjoy myself a pint of mead while he blew away the rubble’ he laughed hard at his own joke and pat Framir on the shoulder ‘Just kidding, boy’ he then turned serious and looked at the rubble ‘But tell me, how much do you think you can achieve with your magic? You told us you aren’t that proficient, but even some small magical assistance can go a long way here, this house is in worse condition than my back’

‘Hah’ Framir chuckled and then observed the ruins. As he had seen before, it was far worse than at Lea’s former house. Lond’s walls had fully collapsed, and aside from some corners, it wasn’t at all obvious there had once been a house. It was just one big pile of rubble. He turned towards Lond ‘Do you have any idea where the anvil could be?’

‘yeah’ He nodded and stepped over some of the rubble, onto the pile. At about one third in he pointed down ‘I’d say somewhere here, this is where the workshop used to be’

‘Damn’ Malenwen whistled between her teeth ‘That’s a lot of trash’

‘It is’ Framir nodded as he studied the pile ‘But if we move some of the bigger rocks on the path to it, I might be able to blow away all the small rubble with one or two spells’ he pointed at a large part of the wall which had collapsed on the pile ‘I’m not strong enough to move these with magic, but if we can get these things out of the way, I think I can clear the rest no problem’

‘Well’ Henrik nodded at Lond and Malenwen ‘Let’s try it, that sounds preferable to hogging the entire pile, doesn’t it?’

‘Exactly’ Lond said with a smile ‘Let’s get to it, as the villagers need more nails but I refuse to work one second more on those pieces of junk they keep bringing me’

They spent almost an entire hour carrying the large stones and wooden beams out of the rubble, placing them on the streetside so they could be recycled in due time. They were also able to recover some of Lond’s belongings and some unfinished weapons and armor he deemed worthy to try and repair. When all that was done, Framir moved himself to the front and focussed his energy. He closed his eyes and formed another kinetic force spell in his right hand and unleashed it on the pile, with a loud bang the rubble was thrown up in the air, away from them, onto some of the other ruins.

‘That’s my anvil!’ Lond said enthusiastically as the back of an anvil became visible under the remaining rubble.

‘Alright, once more then’ Framir smiled as he closed his eyes again and unleashed another spell. There was another bang, and most of the rubble covering the small anvil was blown up and blasted to the other side of the street behind the smithy’s ruins. ‘The rest we can do by hand, I’d say’

‘Yeah’ Malenwen smiled ‘Good work’ she looked at Henrik ‘Do you think the three of you can carry it by yourselves? Then I’ll go see what I can do for Saashi’

‘Trying to evade the work eh?’ Henrik laughed ‘But yes, go, dear. You’ve pulled enough weight over the past days’ he nodded ‘See you soon’

‘Yeah, see you later’ she then nodded at Framir ‘And it’s good to see you back on your feet, in case I hadn’t said it before’ she winked ‘See you later’

They bid her farewell and then cleaned the last rubble off the anvil. It wasn’t a big anvil by any means, so the three of them could easily carry it across town, towards the center, where Lond had set up a provisional smithy using an old recovered bread oven and a pig feeding tray filled with water. Once they put the anvil in it’s place it was already noon, and all three of them were tired.

‘To think I’m still carrying these kind of things at my age’ Henrik chuckled as he straightened his back ‘I’d say it’s time for lunch, and then we’ll see what old Junius has for us, shall we?’

‘Good idea’ Framir nodded and then looked at Lond ‘Good luck with the anvil, Lond’

‘Aye’ Lond was beaming with joy ‘Finally I might start to enjoy my work again, thank you both. Once we’ve got a tavern again, I’d be sure to get the two of you and Malenwen a drink’

‘I’ll hold you to that’ Henrik said with a smile ‘Come on Framir, let’s get ourselves some food and find some place quiet where we can talk.

They fetched themselves some bread at the town hall and then walked down to the abandoned district where the ruins of Lea’s home were also located. There was nobody in the district, save for some children playing hide and seek near the other entrance. They sat down on some rubble close to Lea’s former house and were silent as they started eating their bread.

After the first couple of bites Henrik spoke up with a frown ‘So, tell me, boy. What in Stendarr’s name have you been doing in all these years’

‘Well I have be-’

‘And don’t give me the “I’ve been in the legion” answer’ He frowned ‘Both Junius and Malenwen said you tried to beat around the bush and just settled on being a soldier. But a soldier doesn’t learn to fight like that, and neither did I teach you that, or those fancy spells’ he looked at Framir with a serious expression ‘I’ve got my ideas, but I want to hear you say it’

‘It’s best if I don’t, Henrik’ Framir sighed, absently looking at the ruins of Lea’s shop ‘I have come here to forget about it all’

‘Well’ Henrik frowned as he crossed his legs, taking a small wooden pipe from a bandolier down his waist ‘Let me just say that, whatever it is, your secret would be safe with me’ he raised his hand to silence Framir before he could protest and lighted his pipe before continuing ‘But, you need to realise. If my suspicions are true, your secret could bring all of us in danger’ he exhaled a ring of smoke before taking another bite of his bread ‘I’m not saying you should get out of here, but at least tell me, or Malenwen for that part. We’ll take whatever secret you have to the grave, and we’d be able to assess the possible risk the villagers might be at with you here’

Framir was silent as he took a sip of water, finally after some hesitation he complied ‘I see… well, as always you are sharp as ever, Henrik’ he paused for some time, contemplating his words, and then slowly but deliberately weighed every word ‘A few years after enrolling in the legion, I got recruited into the order of the Blades’

‘That’s what I suspected’ Henrik nodded with a frown ‘Anything else I need to know?’

‘Not really, the Thalmor have been trying to get to me over the past years. But since the war ended I tried bringing other members to safety, until I was the last of my group left’

‘Heh’ Henrik chuckled ‘Ever so noble, but wise. Do they know what you look like?’

‘Perhaps, perhaps vague descriptions spies have given them during the war’ Framir pressed his lips together in thought ‘But so far I’ve been able to kill all those that attempted to follow or catch me, I’ve not left any witnesses’

‘Smart’ Henrik nodded as he finished his bread ‘Do you have anything here that could lead them on your trail?’

Framir sighed and nodded ‘Yes, I… I couldn’t get rid of my amulet, but I plan to do so soon’

‘Good’ Henrik frowned again as he blew out another smoke ring ‘Then you should be relatively safe’ he looked at him with a puzzled expression ‘If you want, I can take that amulet of your hands. That way nobody has any witnesses to you burying it or throwing it out somewhere, and I have a pretty strong alibi as I’ve been here during all of the war’

‘Are you sure? If they find it and link it to you, you might be kidnapped by them, you realize that?’

‘I do’ Henrik said gravely ‘But I’ll be honest with you, boy. I’m old, and it looks like you want nothing more than to live your life out in peace. You’ve got a good few years in front of you, while I may die any day now if this world decides to throw something at me, if not those Thalmor, then some clever wolves or bandits.’

‘I wouldn’t want to be responsible for your death, Henrik’

‘You won’t be’ Henrik shook his head ‘I’ll get rid of it somewhere far away from here, and even if they see me. I offered to take it from you on my own free will, just give it to me, boy. You deserve a clean slate’

‘Alright, I will. Thank you, Henrik’

‘No problem, kid’ he blew another smoke ring and stood up ‘Thank you for trusting me, I swear I’ll take your secret to the grave’

‘Will you tell Malenwen?’

‘No’ He shook his head ‘This burden is yours, and the information is yours to share. I think as long as no Thalmor show up on our doorstep all should be fine, if so…’ he shook his head ‘Well, that’s then. Let’s assume for now they won’t’

‘Alright’ He nodded ‘I’ll think about it’

‘Good, now let’s see what that old coot old Junius has in store for us. He’ll probably have us carry logs or something like that’ he laughed ‘My poor old back will one day raise itself from my grave to drag Junius into his own if he has us do that’

Henrik had been painfully right, as Junius indeed asked them to help carry logs from the lumber mill back to the town’s center. It was hard work, but simple, and it turned out Henrik was still more than capable to carry the load.

The latter half of the day progressed quickly as they helped out with the construction of several new buildings. Now that all the villagers had gotten shelter, the construction of workshops began in order to better sustain the town. A few hours after sunset they stopped for the day and reflected on their work. They were about half way in constructing a new blacksmith building for Lond, the new building was built almost exactly like the old one and several recycled stones from the old site were used in the new building.

Several villagers that had rested during the day would spend the night making bricks at the river for the roof, while the Matius family continued to supply the town with new lumber overnight. The process went surprisingly quick, but with the entire community working hand in hand and with Junius as a competent planner at the head of it all, it was destined to be a smooth process.

When they had stopped working, Henrik and Framir gathered at the town hall with the other villagers in order to get their dinner. It was a simple communal meal made out of Venison, cabbage and rice. It was simple, but tasty and easy to mass produce for most of the villagers to eat from. Now that the food supply was once again up and running, and several local hunters had offered their services to the town, their prospects started to look a lot less bleak.

After the communal dinner, Framir went to check up on Lea. As he walked down to their old tent he saw she was busy placing her few belongings in a crate. He approached her with a smile ‘Hey, can I help?’

‘Oh hey’ She looked up ‘Nah, not really, I’m almost done getting my stuff in here. But your backpack is still in the tent, I wanted to bring it to you tonight…. buuut you are already here, so you can pick it up yourself’ she winked and proceeded to put the old book they had recovered the night before into the crate ‘I’m surprised how well the book is preserved, thanks again for helping me recover it’

‘No problem, of course’ he smiled as he looked at her trying to fit everything in the crate as he was leaning against one of the tent poles ‘Are you sure you don’t need help with that?’

She bit her lower lip and rearranged some things in the box, then putting the book in and dumping some of the other objects on top of it. She then looked up, smiling proudly ‘No, why do you ask?’

‘Just offering’ He bit back a laugh as he entered the tent to fetch his backpack. He walked past the cot he’d spend the past nights sleeping on, and before that had been stuck on ‘I’d vote to ritually burn that thing, if the beds weren’t so valuable right now’

‘I won’t tell anyone if you did’ she chuckled ‘But I’d advise against it’

‘I know, I know’ He picked up his backpack, flinging it over his shoulder ‘But once all of this is over, I’ll come to take my revenge on it’

‘You might want to take that back’ Lea said playfully as she sat down on the cot ‘I think it heard you’

‘Perhaps I should end it now then’ he said jokingly, putting his hand on his sword.

Lea laughed and threw herself on the cot in a comedic fashion ‘I will protect it with my life, leave him alone, brigand!’

They both laughed and continued the joke for several more minutes until they had both become tired of the laughing and their stomachs hurt. Lea stood up, still chuckling, when she pointed at his legs while they walked out of the tent ‘By the way, how have you been doing today? Any issues with your balance?’

‘None’ he knocked on his chest with his knuckles ‘And my chest is also normal again, it was tingling in the morning but by now it seems I’ve fully recovered’

‘Ah I’m so happy to hear that’ Lea bowed over to pick up her crate and then stood up again ‘Say, mister help giver, how about you give me a hand here and you take the left side and I take the right?’

‘Hmhm, let me think about that’ He stroked his chin and nodded ‘Yes, I think I can do that’

‘You’d better’ She stuck out her tongue, after which they both grabbed a side of the crate and started hauling it towards the town center. With both of them balancing the crate out it was an easy enough job and when they reached the town center they brought it into one of the dwellings where Lea had been given a small room with a cot and simple desk where she’d be able to make potions. Most of the villagers slept in large communal rooms, but the artisans of the town had gotten small rooms suited to their craft’s need so they had a place to continue practicing their trade even when it rained, as most of them usually sat outside in the square, like Lond in his improvised smithy.

When they entered her room and put down the crate next to the small desk Lea dropped down on her small bed and raised her fists at him ‘Welcome to my castle, dear Framir. Please wipe your shoes or get sent to the gallows, you vagabond!’

He raised a brow in amusement ‘Are you planning to build a fort out of crates too once the villagers no longer need them?’

‘Great idea!’ She laughed ‘But no, I suspect I will be too busy with making stamina potions for the construction workers’ she chuckled ‘Which includes you since today’

‘Those could be helpful, yeah’ He smiled, leaning against the wall ‘By the end of the day, old Henrik seemed exhausted’

‘Well, try getting to his age and still lift those logs’ She smiled as she stretched herself on the bed ‘I think he’s only a couple of years younger than Junius, and I don’t see Junius hauling logs’

‘Yeah, true that’ He crossed his arms, looking at Lea as she lazily draped herself over the bed ‘I think I’m also gonna go and find my bed, I’m exhausted’

‘Ahw’ She yawned ‘But I suppose I was right when I said all little birds need to leave the nest one day, fine’ she lazily waved him away with his hand ‘Go’

‘Yes ma’am’ He chuckled as he opened the door to get to his own assigned cot ‘Good night, Lea’

‘Good night’

The next morning he was having breakfast on some large boulders together with Henrik and Malenwen. They had gotten some bread for breakfast, including some milk from a nearby farm which had donated it to the village. Malenwen was telling them of how she had helped the loremaster Saashi with carrying the rubble of the destroyed statue and documenting the pieces. It had been boring work, but not particularly taxing. She was about half way through recounting the previous day when they were approached by Saashi, she looked exhausted, as if she’d been working through the night. She seemed excited as she approached Malenwen ‘Khajiit wishes you good morning, and has an important update’

‘Oh’ Malenwen raised a brow ‘What is it, Saashi?’

‘Khajiit found an ancient tunnel under the Founder’s Statue’

‘A tunnel?’ Henrik said with a frown ‘Human made?’

‘No, this one only saw Ayleid architecture’ Saashi seemed beyond herself with excitement ‘Khajiit entered the tunnel for a bit, but heard undead further up’ she scratched her head ‘So… Saashi has come to ask a favor..’

‘You need us to clear out the tunnels?’ Henrik said with a smile

‘Yes, indeed’ Saashi nodded ‘Junius already agreed, as this one thinks the answer to the fire lies within those tunnels. The statue seems to have sealed the tunnels, and Khajiit knows the statue was created back in the first era, meaning this tunnel must have been undisturbed potentially for millenia!’

‘Alright, if old Junius agreed we might as well get to it’ Malenwen said with a smile ‘Framir, do you have any armor you could use? So we can prevent you being confined to your bed again’

‘Hah’ Henrik laughed ‘I don’t think he minds, if that means he gets to spend more time at the infirmary’

‘And what is that supposed to mean?’ Framir frowned, but then turned to Malenwen ‘But no, I don’t, unfortunately. I’ll walk over to Lond to see if he might have something for me’

Unfortunately, all Lond had on hand was an old, broken chainmail. He decided to wear it over his tunic either way as it was better protection than none at all, but he made a mental note to see if he could get a hold of some armor some time in the future. When he returned, he, Malenwen and Henrik quickly strapped their weapons to their belts, readying themselves to enter the ancient Ayleid tunnels.

Once at the statue they found that several large boulders had been moved, revealing a narrow entrance into the hill the town had been build on. The entrance was dark and looked slightly ominous, causing Henrik to preemptively light a torch. While Framir might have been able to light their way using a magelight spell, they did not want to risk depleting his energy as they had no idea what they would end up finding beneath.

As they entered the narrow entrance they discovered the air inside was thick with a strange smell, a smell that reminded Framir of really old books he’d handled in his time at Cloud Ruler Temple, a smell of ancient history in a sense. While the history itself was far from the thing causing the smell, it was the thing most people would associate it with. The tunnel went on for almost fifty meters, steeply declining into the hillside. When they came to the end of the tunnel they found themselves in a small room, with at the far end an ancient Ayleid door. The door was decorated with a large tree-like etching that glowed slightly blue in the dark of the tunnel. The door didn’t seem locked, but behind it they could hear movement. There were walking beings behind the door, the sound was faint, but clear enough to pick up by a trained ear.

‘Do you think Saashi reached this door?’ Henrik whispered, studying the door ‘It doesn’t seem locked. Whatever is behind this door, it could have easily gotten out as it doesn’t seem to be locked in any way’

‘Not likely’ Malenwen shook her head ‘Her hearing is far better than ours, she will have heard those footsteps from several meters up in the tunnel’ she looked at Framir and Henrik ‘So, should we enter? What do you guys think it could be?’

‘Likely undead wights’ Framir whispered, frowning ‘I’ve been in underground Ayleid ruins before and those… things.. are sometimes there in undisturbed ruins. Relics of the past, restless and very protective of their ruins’ he carefully drew his sword, making sure to not make a sound ‘Draw your weapons and be ready, most of those beings have lost their sanity eons ago’

The other two nodded, at which Malenwen drew her sword and Henrik took his axe from the belt strapped around his armor. Framir then carefully approached the ancient door, and pushed it. Slowly but steadily two halves of the ancient stone door seperated with a scraping sound.

  
They held their breath as they heard the movement behind the door stop, the wights were likely disturbed by the sound of the opening door.

‘Be ready’ Framir whispered ‘Once they see us, they will come at us in an instant’

He was right, the moment they stepped through the doors they heard the sounds of weapons being drawn in the dark. Framir stepped in first, and couldn’t see a thing in the dim blue glow of several veins in the walls. Then suddenly he heard multiple sets of footsteps around him as the ancient undead that hid in the dark started charging at them ‘Get back!’ he yelled as he raised his sword to block possible incoming strikes.

Malenwen and Henrik did as he said and both back stepped into the smaller room behind the door, Framir followed and positioned himself in the door opening, the light of Henrik’s torch behind him illuminating about a meter in front of him. The footsteps in the room behind the door came ever closer, they could now also hear strange angry grunts approach, and then suddenly, as if out of nowhere the first figure entered the light. It was a lean undead with grey skin and dim red glowing eyes. It wore ancient worn elven armor and bore a long partly deteriorated moonstone blade. Framir didn’t jump forward, he waited as the wight ran at him in the door opening. He knew that were he to jump forward like he usually would, he’d become surrounded, as there were still many more footsteps approaching from the apparently massive underground complex they had stepped in.

He skillfully blocked a strike by the undead, just after deflecting the strike he saw he’d been right, as two more undead Ayleid entered the circle of light. He quickly managed to deliver a stab to the head to one that hadn’t equipped a helmet. ‘Guys, there is a lot of them, step to the right and left of me, argh’ he blocked another strike and dodged a second as three more adversaries stepped into the light circle ‘Step to both my sides, I’ll jump back and we’ll encircle them’ he didn’t wait for an answer, he used his sword to quickly stab one of the ancient wights and then, in a fluid motion dodged two strikes and jumped back. He saw Malenwen and Henrik had listened to his command as both of them now stood at the sides of the door, and with him now two meters behind it they were able to encircle any wight that would come through the door opening. The tactic worked, when one of the wights entered, he was quickly dealt with. The same could be said of the next three wights, after those three the pile of bodies in front of the door had become so big that the subsequent wights started to stumble over them, making them even easier to deal with. The sheer amount of adversaries they had to deal with overwhelmed them, and caused them to be slowly driven back. It was almost starting to look as if the wights would break through, but just before the opening had become big enough there came no more wights.

‘Was that all of them?’ Malenwen panted as she leant on her sword ‘By Martin, where did all of those… things… come from?!’

‘It seems that was all’ Framir said after listening closely for a couple of seconds ‘But you can say that again, usually there’s only a few but this.. this is something else’ Framir crouched down next to one of the bodies and studied the wight’s face.

‘What do you mean, Kid?’ Henrik crouched down next to him ‘What’s wrong?’

‘These things’ Framir studied the skin closely ‘They seem to have only recently been reanimated’

‘huh?’ Malenwen crouched down too, keeping an eye on the door ‘But you said these things have been in the Ayleid ruins for eons’

‘That’s usually the case’ He frowned as he studied the glassy eyes, now devoid of their red glow ‘But not these’ he pointed at the skin ‘These have been very recently animated, the bodies are ancient but they aren’t yet showing the wear of long term undead existence’

‘How long ago are we speaking?’ Henrik stood up again and nudged the arm of one ‘A few days, years, ages?’

‘Hard to tell’ Framir looked up ‘I’ve fought quite a few undead, and these definitely remind me more of those raised by necromancers, usually animated about a few weeks, months, maybe a year, before fighting them. Bodies animated by dark magic start to show a certain wear through the years, which is especially clear on those dwelling in ancient ruins’ he stood up and cleaned his sword using a rag he cut from one of the bodies ‘That goes for all types undead, Ayleids here, Draugr in Skyrim, liches, et cetera’ he nodded at the door ‘I suspect we dealt with nearly all of them, unless there is a deeper section. Most, if not all of them will have been lured to us by the noise, but be on your guard’

‘Good one’ Malenwen nodded ‘Henrik, you should give me the torch. You fight far more effectively with two hands’ she took the torch from the old man and nodded at Framir ‘I’m glad you are here with us’ she laughed nervously ‘I don’t think Henrik and I would have been able to get rid of these guys on our own’

‘Speak for yourself’ Henrik laughed ‘This old punching bag has a few punches left in him’ he then pat her on the back ‘But she’s right, I’m also glad you’re here, boy’

‘My pleasure’ Framir chuckled ‘But we should try and get in there and see whether there are more of those things’

Henrik and Malenwen agreed and the three of them quickly made their way into the next section where the wights had originally come from. The chamber behind the door was massive, it had a low ceiling which became visible after Framir had cast a faint magelight in order to give them more visibility than with just Henrik’s torch. Once they had gotten a bit further into the space they started finding ancient empty sarcophaguses, leading them to the conclusion that this underground complex hadn’t been an Ayleid town or city, but rather a tomb, and that those buried within had been reanimated by something, or someone.

They encountered no more danger in the ancient halls, not even as they progressed deeper into the earth, passing richly decorated burial chambers. It took them over half an hour to explore the entire complex as the massive central hall had multiple adjacent spaces, causing them to have to cross the central burial chamber multiple times as they refused to split up.

After searching nearly every room, only finding more empty coffins they stumbled upon a burial chamber with only a single, very richly decorated sarcophagus. It had also been opened, but what stood out was that it was far larger than any of the other coffins they had passed.

‘What do you guys think?’ Malenwen said as she looked at the dusty sarcophagus ‘Is whatever that was buried in there still here?’

‘No... ‘ Framir said, studying the decoration on the sides ‘I am quite sure it isnt… whatever was in here…’ he then looked up ‘But how was it able to leave? That is the real question’

‘Perhaps during the night it crept out of the crypts’ Henrik suggested ‘During the first few nights nobody was posted on that side of the town as we were all too busy trying to get things in order’

‘Maybe…’ Framir frowned ‘.. We should tell Saashi about this, and probably warn her’ he looked up, and noticed something in the far corner of the room, only faintly visible in their light ‘Look at that’

‘What?’

He walked up to it, followed by his magelight ‘Another door’ he touched it, only to find that it was shut tight ‘It seems to be protected by something’ he followed the tree etching on the door with his index finger ‘An enchantment of sorts’

‘Do you think, that thing…’ Malenwen started ‘Is behind it?’

‘No’ Framir shook his head ‘No, I am quite sure it isn't’ he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the energy in the ancient stone door. This wasn’t his specialty, but he’d learned enough of enchantments and Ayleid history to make an educated guess ‘This spell on the door.. it is ancient..’ he shook his head ‘It hasn’t been broken or restored in the past weeks, or probably years’ he bit his lip slightly ‘So if that thing is back there, he must have been there for some years’ he then walked back towards the sarcophagus and pointed at the dust on the lids, which was just a thin layer, unlike the thick layers which covered most anything else ‘This thing was opened not long ago, likely less than two weeks. Which would match up with the explosion of the statue’ he sighed and frowned ‘Likely that statue had… something in it to seal this tomb.. but I know too little of the ancient elves to make a guess on that. We should tell Saashi about this, and tell her it’s safe. Perhaps she can find something’

‘Good plan’ Henrik rubbed his eyes ‘My old eyes are getting tired of the dark anyway’

They then quickly left the dark ancient tomb, opting instead for the clear blue skies above.

When they emerged, Saashi was waiting for them with an excited expression. ‘What did you find? Tell Saashi!’

‘Some empty coffins and a whole lot of undead’ Malenwen stretched her arm ‘But we put them all down, the tomb is now safe for you to explore, although I do recommend you bring a torch or two’

‘Coffins this one says?’

‘Yes’ Framir nodded ‘The tomb looks ancient, there were lots of undead. But they were only recently animated, in addition to that there was a large Ayleid sarcophagus at the end and a sealed door in the same room, it held an ancient enchantment so we couldn’t get it to open’

‘An ancient Ayleid sarcophagus? Did it bear any symbols of sorts?’

‘Probably’ Framir nodded ‘But I am not versed enough in Ayleid history to cite them to you, you’d have to take a look at it yourself’ he frowned ‘The sarcophagus looked very old, but it was clearly only recently opened. Yet whatever rested within was not anywhere in the tomb, and the enchantment on the doors seemed unbroken for at least a century… so it’s all very puzzling, perhaps you can make something of it?’

‘Hmhm’ The Khajiiti scholar scratched her head between her feline ears ‘It is possible there was some sort of warding enchantment on the statue, destroying the statue would have broken the spell and released whatever was trapped in there’

‘Framir here told us something similar in the tomb’ Henrik stroked his beard ‘But that does not explain where the thing went, because that sarcophagus is far bigger than anything we faced in there’

‘It is possible that it was able to materialize itself somewhere else’ Saashi said with a frown ‘But that would require a very advanced knowledge of magical practice, for whatever was trapped inside…. but all this, the statue being a ward for the tomb, would explain the burst of magical energy that started the flames’ Saashi smiled, baring her fangs ‘Saashi will see for herself to find out more, now that it is safe. Thank you for the help’

‘I’ll go with you, Saashi’ Malenwen said ‘We don’t know what might be lurking behind that door and I wouldn’t want to risk it’ she nodded at Henrik and Framir ‘You two take a break, see if you can help Junius’

‘Good plan’ Henrik nodded as he pat Framir on the back ‘Let’s find that old coot and see if he has more work for us, eh?’


	3. The Name of Evil

### The Name of Evil

_The red flickering glow of fire was all that he could see through the thick smoke fumes that surrounded him. There was the sound of screams behind him, the noises of which would have been deafening to any who had stood next to it’s source. But for them it was already too late, the attackers had gotten to them already. He had trouble breathing as he ran ever forward, hoping to reach the archives in time. There was no longer a way back, the ones he’d guided were long gone, already on their way to the meetup spot, sealing the tunnel behind them._

_He heard noise in the burning hallway in front of him and drew his sword, still running, trying not to trip over any loose burning debris. As he sprinted through the flame ridden hallways he would ever so often come across the bodies of those who were slain, he hadn’t the time to pay them their respects, all he could hope to do is honor their actions in life by completing his objective. He sprinted across a corner and saw several figures in black robes expanding the fire that raged through the ages old building. He had no choice, he’d have to engage them. Before they knew what was happening he had sprinted up to them with his long, curved blades katana, slashing into the robes of one of the adversaries. He used his left hand to conjure up a quick ward to protect himself against the incoming spells from the other adversaries. Quick as lightning he sprang forward, gutting one of their stomach’s open. He used his elbow to deliver a blow in the face for the final one and in a fluid motion swung the katana back towards the now staggered mage._

_He didn’t look back, did not check whether they had died, although none would be able to survive such wounds with the flames around them gutting at every part of their being, he hurried. The smoke had become blinding, but he knew where to go. The red hot flickers of the flames around him indicated the way, and after fifty more seconds he stood at the door to the archives. The door was hanging loose in it’s hinges, broken open by the invaders. He saw several of them standing in the room, which the fire had almost reached. Over the roaring of the flames he could hear one of the figures yell at the othes to get the documents out of there before the flames could consume them. The figures started to hurry, but he wasn’t going to allow them to leave. He attempted not to cough over the smoke that had infested every corner of the ancient temple and then jumped forward. None of the invaders had expected to still find resistance and he was able to gut two of them in one precise swing of his sword, the other three he was able to quickly outmatch, having the element of surprise on his side. But before he could finish off the last one, he’d started running. Before setting in the chase he used a simple fire spell to set the chests full of documents the invaders had started to move ablaze. The documents, among other things, had contained a full list of all operatives his order employed across Tamriel and a list of their safehouses. If those files were to fall into enemy hands they’d been finished. But the runner had something, he’d ran away with two scrolls in his arms, so he commenced the chase. He followed the shade of the robed figure throughout the ruined halls, he was faster and was slowly catching up to the figure. But before he could start readying a spell to hit him with, his vision suddenly shifted._

_He noticed he was surrounded by flames, but suddenly heard screams at his right hand side as debris fell down from the ceiling. He needed to get the villagers out, out of the burning basement. He tried his best to blow away the debris, blocking access to the trapdoor, but it was no use as the large boulders refused to move. He started hearing voices, whispering to him over the roaring flames and the screams. But before he could hear what they were saying he heard a scream from behind him ‘Framir!’_

_It had been Lea’s voice, he looked around and saw her numb body under a pile of burning debris. Her face was bloody and her eyes stood in agony as the flames were slowly working a way to her body ‘No!’ he shouted as he ran towards her. But before he reached her, several robed figures jumped at him from the shadows, their moonstone swords reflecting the orange flickers of the flames onto their hooded faces ‘Die, Raven!’ one of them said as they charged forward. He reached for his sword, but it was gone. ‘Framir!’ He heard a desperate voice yell behind him, the voice was that of an old man, Henrik’s. He wanted to turn around, but couldn’t as the robed figures drew closer’ He attempted to conjure up a spell, but there was no magical energy in the air to redirect, he noticed he couldn’t even move himself.. The old voice yelled again ‘Framir!’ All was empty, he felt powerless as he once more lost control over his muscles, there was nothing he could do. ‘Framir!’ But before they reached him he heard the voice once more_ ‘Framir, wake up!’

His eyes shot open, he was ventilating quickly, practically panting, drenched in sweat.

‘There we go’ The old voice said, outside his vision.

He turned towards the voice and saw Henrik standing next to his bed with a bright candle, in it’s light he could see the others he shared the newly built building with, all awake and looking at him.

‘Kid, you look like you need some fresh air’ Henrik pat him on the shoulder ‘What do you say? Let’s get some air and let these people enjoy their night’s rest’

‘Sure’ He numbly nodded, not fully realizing what was going on. He stepped out of his bed, following Henrik out of the communal building. Once they reached the door and went outside he felt the cold mid-night air hit his body, it was refreshing beyond anything else and he quickly regained full conscience as they walked towards one of the town center’s makeshift benches. They sat down in silence, both looking at the town watch’s torch lights in one of the hastily repaired watchtowers on the town’s crumbling walls. Henrik didn’t seem to want to say anything, merely contently staring ahead and eventually handing Framir a flask of water.

He silently drank some and then gave the container back to Henrik. The old man took it back and strapped it to his belt. It was weird to see Henrik without armor, ever since he’d been a child it was all he’d seen the old man wear. It had been so extreme that until his fourteenth year he’d been convinced the man slept in it.

‘So, kid, wanna talk about it?’

‘Not particularly’ He rubbed his eyes ‘It was just a nightmare, I’ve had them before’ he chuckled slightly ‘It hasn’t been the most pleasant couple of years’

‘Aye’ Henrik nodded absently ‘I can imagine’ they were silent for a couple of minutes until Henrik looked at him ‘Have you told Malenwen?’

‘No, I haven’t’ He shook his head ‘It would only endanger her and everyone else here’

Henrik silently nodded ‘You are right’

‘Say, Henrik, where did you bring my amulet?’

‘Somewhere far from here, out of their reach’

‘You have an exact location?’

‘No, it’d be safer if you didn’t know’

‘Okay’ They sat in silence once more, staring ahead into the darkness. Framir noticed that the torch which stood close to them attracted some large moth’s with it’s light. He chuckled as he saw them dance towards the flame, then turning away from the heat again. Seeing this cycle repeated calmed him and after a while he sighed ‘It was a mistake for me to come here, Henrik’

‘Maybe it will be in the long run’ He nodded ‘But you are here now, and without your help more people would have died’ he pat Framir on the back ‘You’ve done a lot of good here already, kid’

‘I know, but if they fi-’

‘If they find you, you’ve done everything you could to cover yourself up’ Henrik shook his head ‘There are no traces left of your past, right?’

‘Right’

‘Well then’ Henrik smiled ‘I’d recommend growing a beard so that truly nobody will recognise you, and after that, live out your life in peace, son. You earned it’ he sighed ‘What do you think? Can you sleep again?’

‘Probably’ Framir nodded ‘Thanks, Henrik’

‘No problem, kid’

Together they walked back towards the building that housed their cots. Once they entered they noticed the others had gone back to sleep, and it didn’t take long before both Henrik and Framir joined their ranks. The nightmares stayed away for the rest of the night and he was able to rest up quite well in the few hours he’d have left.

Several days later he, Malenwen and Henrik were all helping with the construction of a large dwelling in the district south of the center. By some miracle the townspeople had been able to completely rebuild most buildings around the city center, so now it was time to rebuild the district closest to it. Large families with many children and elders to care for were decided to be the priority of the first homesteads, to then slowly build towards the smaller dwellings for smaller families and single villagers. Everything still went well, and the people of the town were all united in a solidarity that could only be explained by the immense hardships they’d all had to go through. It had been decided that the large buildings, now used for communal sleeping quarters, would be repurposed for the city’s artizan shops once the villagers would be able to return to their normal lives. Both Lea and Lond had been happy with the decision, as now the uncertainty of their livelihoods had been nullified. They had also been happy when the townsfolk started scavenging operations of the ruins, meaning they would likely get most of their former tools and perhaps some materials that might have survived the fire back. Junius had also approached Framir, Henrik and Malenwen a few days ago, informing them that in the planning of the new town outline they’d get housings in the district in front of the gates, it would be a while until those houses would be built, however Junius also informed them that one of the larger communal buildings would be turned into a barracks building where they, as the remaining three protectors of the town, would be able to sleep until then and later train new protectors at.

When the sun stood high in the sky all three of them decided to have a short break to eat some lunch. The local farms were still providing for the town, in the hopes of helping it rebuild quicker so business could be resumed as quickly as possible. This day they had provided the usual milk and eggs, complemented by lettuce from the farmlands. It wasn’t much, but enough for the people of the town to survive.

Framir was eating some of his lettuce when Malenwen stretched her body, likely trying to fix a fastened muscle in her back ‘What would the three of you say to some sparring tonight? We’ve been so busy with all the rebuilding that I haven’t been able to train, especially now that there’s just three of us I feel a bit uncomfortable tallying on my training’ she crossed her legs as she once again sat down next to them ‘That encounter in the tomb is the last time I swung my sword, and even then I felt I was a bit rusty’

‘That might be a good idea’ Henrik nodded ‘What about you, boy?’

‘Sure, I’ll come’ Framir smiled ‘I’m also looking forward to using my poor sword arm for something else than carrying logs and hammering nails’

‘Good’ Malenwen smiled and then chuckled as she looked at Framir ‘It’s not really the calm life you had envisioned for yourself, eh?’

‘Not really’ He smiled ‘But that’ll come. I suppose it’s never been easy for me, and I don’t think I’ve given the gods a reason to suddenly change that’

‘Hah’ Malenwen smiled ‘I for one, am glad you are here helping. If anything because you aren’t so old, I was afraid I might end up alone here after something finally got Henrik’

‘I’m sitting here, you know’ Henrik laughed.

‘Did I ask you something, old man?’ Malenwen stuck out her tongue, earning her a playful push from Henrik, causing her to almost fall over from where they were sitting.

‘I personally don’t get the idea Henrik is mortal, Malenwen’ Framir joked ‘You’d best watch out what you say as he might just outlive you if you continue on like that’

‘Hah’ Malenwen laughed as she quickly stood up to dodge another push ‘He can prove it tonight during our sparring session, now I am getting back to work’

‘Chicken’ Henrik laughed ‘But you are right this time, we should get back to work’

‘I am always right, old man’ Malenwen laughed as she quickly ran back towards the building site.

That night they ended up sparring in one of the abandoned districts. It was decided that Henrik and Malenwen would face off against each other first, and the winner would be granted the dubious honor of fighting the newcomer. Malenwen ended up winning, although admittedly it seemed as if she had an unfair advantage as the old man had hurt his foot after lunch and thus had a slight issue with sidestepping.

‘Alright, Framir, show me what you got’ Malenwen said smiling, her sword raised ‘First one to touch the other wins’ she used her hand to get a loose stray of hair away from her vision, tucking it behind her ear ‘Preferably don’t aim for the head, will you?’

‘I won’t, bring it Maly’

‘Don’t call me that, I told you when we were kids and I’m telling you again now’

‘Well, beat me and I’ll stop’

Henrik sat down on a loose boulder and crossed his legs ‘This will be interesting, get on it you two’ he then laughed ‘And Framir, go easy on her’

‘Don’t think you’ll be able to outwit me like those goblins or wights, I’m a thinking being, don’t underestimate me’

‘Stop talking already’ Framir laughed ‘Are you nervous?’

‘Never’ Malenwen readied herself ‘Are you ready?’

‘Aye’

‘Okay, start’

Malenwen didn’t wait, she wanted to grab the initiative and sprinted towards him with her sword at the ready. It was a mistake, as he calmly waited for her to reach him and then with the speed of a jaguar sidestepped, dodging her incoming strike and raising his sword in defense, not hitting her back just yet.

‘I could have hit you there, you know?’

‘Shush’ Malenwen said, biting her lip ‘I’m warming up, give me a chance here’

This time she waited, carefully looking at his movements. But he wasn’t giving away any sign of wanting to attack, and when he finally did he’d made a course of action in his head that predicted all her possible actions. As he charged in, she raised her sword to block his incoming strike, he’d suspected that would happen and thus he made sure to strike his sword along her blade instead of on top of it, allowing him to quickly retract his arm and go in for another strike in a fluid motion. She was barely able to block it, and was thrown off balance by the action. He used this window of opportunity to step forward and lightly hit her on the leg with the blunt side of his blade. ‘I win’

‘Shit’ she panted ‘By Martin, Framir how’d you learn to fight like that? I feel embarrassed now, underestimating you like I did’

‘Heh, don’t sweat it’ He laughed ‘I spent the better part of the years since I left in training’

‘Even so, that was quite some impressive combat you showed right there’ Henrik nodded as he light up his pipe ‘You were in control of all your movements, from your feet, all the way up to your fingertips, impressive’

‘Thanks’ Framir smiled and looked at Malenwen ‘But I have to say, your reaction time is sublime’ he pointed at her sword ‘I hadn’t thought you’d be able to block my second strike and I had to improvise’

‘You make it sound like we are done here’ Malenwen laughed ‘Now I know your deal, and I want a rematch, you also in, Henrik?’

‘No, not today’ He smiled as he blew out a smoke ring ‘My foot still hurts, and I get a lot of joy out of seeing you two fight like that’

‘Fine, Framir, are you up for a rematch?’

‘Any day’ He got back in a fighting stance ‘But are you ready?’

‘Oh, I was born ready’ Malenwen smiled as she also got into a fighting stance ‘Start!’

This time they spent about three minutes circling each other, both trying to gauge each other’s movements. Both were so absorbed by each other’s gazes that none of them noticed a new figure entering the district, and sitting down next to Henrik. When it became clear that none of them wanted to make the first move, Framir decided to go on the offensive. He was sure Malenwen wouldn’t fall for the same trick again, and thus he decided another strategy. He charged at her, but just before he reached her, he took a side step, protecting himself with his sword as Malenwen attempted a strike at his torso. He used this deflection to slam Malenwen’s sword so hard she staggered and he had an opening to move in. But before he could, she had sloppily jumped backwards, trying to regain her balance out of his reach.

‘Nice move’ He complimented her ‘Saved you from my sword’

‘I know your tricks now, little Raven!’ she said as she took herself to the offensive. But he didn’t do anything, he just stood there, as his mind froze at the mention of his lifelong nickname. As a child he’d gotten the nickname by Malenwen for his raven black hair, and later during his time with the blades he’d needed to use a code name and he’d chosen Raven. This is also what the Thalmor had known him by during the war, as all the intercepted communication simply referred to him as “The Raven” and hearing her voice, the voice of an elf, yelling it as she charged at him, shook something in him. He deeply breathed out, trying to calm himself as he barely registered a slight tap on his right side with the blunt side on Malenwen’s sword. His conscience barely registered it when he heard Malenwen say ‘That’s not fair, you just let me win here’

He shook his head, trying to escape the daze ‘I… I’m sorry’ he sighed ‘I just.. ‘ he bit his lip ‘Let’s try again’

‘Ohhh no’ Malenwen said with a grin ‘I’d rather quit while I’m winning’ she then frowned ‘But hey, are you okay?’

‘Yeah.. yeah I am’ He rubbed in his eyes ‘I’m a bit tired and… something just kind of snapped.. I’ll tell you about it later, okay?’

‘Yeah, sure’ she nodded with a slightly worried expression and then pointed at the boulder Henrik had been sitting at and winked ‘It looks like you have a visitor’

He turned around and saw Lea sitting on the boulder next to Henrik, both of them were watching them in silence. When they saw the two of them looking over they both smiled and Lea stood up ‘Nice duel, a bit short though’

‘Don’t forget that I won!’ Malenwen said, sticking out her tongue at Framir.

‘Yeah yeah’ He said with a smile ‘I’ll get my revenge’ he then turned his gaze towards Lea ‘So, what are you doing here?’

‘Well, I came looking for you’ She smiled slightly ‘I was wondering whether you’d wanna help me tomorrow, gathering ingredients for new potions. I’m almost out of several things that grow in the wilds around town, so I’d love it if you’d join me, you know as a gallant knight, for protection’

‘Do you need protection in the wilds around the town? The only real danger around here are potentially bandits and those haven’t been in this area for more than a year.’

Lea seemed slightly disappointed and shrugged ‘Well, I mean you never know’ she sighed ‘But well, if you don’t wa-’

‘Of course he wants to go with you’ Malenwen said as she hit him in the sides with her elbow ‘Isn’t that right, Framir?’

‘Uhm’ He started ‘Yeah, of course, sure. Sorry.’

‘Great!’ Lea smiled ‘Tomorrow morning about an hour after sunset in the town center, don’t be late’ she winked and then yawned ‘I don’t know about you guys but I am going to my bed, good night everyone!’

They wished her good night and waited until she was out of hearing range, once she was, Framir felt the blow of another elbow in his side ‘You really cannot take a hint, can you?’

‘I’m sorry, what?’ He smiled sheepishly as Henrik put away his pipe and then stood up, silently joining Malenwen with an amused grin.

‘By Martin, I don’t remember you being this thick headed’ Malenwen laughed ‘Do I need to spell it out for you or something?’

‘Slow down, what do you mean?’

She sighed ‘Okay then, let me make it very obvious to you. She came here to ask you, to join her tomorrow.’

‘Yeah, for security’

‘Yeah sure, numbskull, she’s gone out several times now to gather ingredients in the past weeks’ She sighed and looked at Henrik ‘Is he really, this stupid?’

‘I don’t think this is the right time to chastise him, girl’ He then looked at Framir ‘She came here for you, and wants you specifically to be there’

‘Oh’ He laughed sheepishly ‘Yeah, okay, I get it’

‘Good’ Malenwen smiled and pat him on the back ‘And now be a dear and be nice to her tomorrow, yeah?’

‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

‘’I don’t know, but after the previous couple of minutes I felt like I might need to remind you of that as well’ She laughed ‘And now let’s hit the hay, as I assume you have no intention to be late tomorrow, do you?’

‘No, no I don’t’ He said absently as they walked down the road. He was caught up in internal conflict as they continued to walk down the empty streets, deciding whether or not he’d want to show up the next morning. Although he wasn’t particularly interested in the girl, he had to admit he’d taken a liking to the alchemist, she was nice, fun to be around, easy on the eyes and overall a great person. However if he’d let himself fall for her, or anyone else for that matter he’d automatically put that person at risk, and while his mind could say a lot about Lea, she was far from a warrior, and would need others to protect herself. This internal discussion lasted until well after going to bed, in the end he decided to go and simply wait and see how things would unravel.

That next morning she had been waiting for him on the town’s central square, she’d arranged some breakfast for them which they would be able to take with them during the day and eat on the road. They spent the first half of the day just outside the town walls, harvesting the fields for wild lavender, a potent ingredient for stamina potions if mixed in with the correct ingredients. The two of them decided to have lunch around noon, and then head to the forests south of the village to search for some different mushrooms.

When the sun crossed the sky’s equator they sat down on a small grass meadow next to a narrow stream of water cutting through the surrounding fields, they had searched separately for most of the day, in order to cover as much ground as they could. The bounty of their effort proved to be plenty, as both of them had at least found one full satchel of lavender flowers. Framir’s satchel had been slightly less full than Lea’s, but not by much.

‘You’re a natural’ She smiled when she inspected some of his flowers, as they had headed into the fields she had shown him how to precisely cut the flowers to keep the plants alive but harvest the useful parts. It had been quite tedious, but after a while he was able to cut the heads smoothly.

‘It took some getting used to, didn’t stop me from accidentally cutting in my finger’ He held up his right ring finger, which had a slight scar from a small cut on it’s tip ‘I was able to quickly heal it, so the flower wasn’t contaminated. But it felt quite stupid’

‘It is’ She laughed ‘But I really appreciate the help, to think you would bleed for me’

‘’Uhg’ He frowned and then laughed ‘So where is that lunch you promised me?’

‘I have it here’ She said with a slight smile as she pat on her bag ‘I prepared it myself, so you’d better like it’

She took out two pieces of bread, both topped with some vegetables and handed him one of them. They were quite tasty, and very nourishing, filling both of them enough to carry on for several more hours.

‘This tasted great!’ He complimented her as they both finished their meals ‘With all this improvised stuff of the past weeks I’d forgotten how well something tastes when it’s actually prepared’

‘Why thank you’ She said with a smile ‘It took some effort, but I’m very glad it’s appreciated’ she sighed and then dropped her torso backwards on the grass. She closed her eyes as she now fully laid herself down on the grass ‘You know, I love this place. We’re just far enough away from the town not to be reminded of everything that happened at every step, and the only sounds around are the water and the animals’ she sighed ‘If I didn’t have my shop in the town I’d settle down here if I could’

‘Yeah’ He looked around and ended up settling his gaze on the small stream in front of them ‘It’s quite peaceful, isn’t it’

‘Yeah, it is’ She turned on her side and looked at him, sitting on the grass next to her ‘What about you, oh great warrior. What are your aspirations for your life here after all this shit is dealt with?’

‘Hmhm’ He frowned ‘I think I’ll like some peace and quiet, maybe get rid of some goblins or bandits for the town every now and then, earn my place in the town and in order to get some funds for food, that kind of thing’

‘Is there nothing else you’d like to do?’

‘Not really, I was thinking of perhaps asking Lond to teach me some smithing so I could help him every once in a while when there aren’t many issues to deal with around town’ He shrugged ‘I see my life in this town as perhaps some… early retirement?’

‘Early retirement?’ She chuckled ‘You are barely older than me and I’m twenty-six’ she then frowned ‘Actually, how old are you? I don’t think I ever asked’

‘Twenty-eight’ He chuckled ‘But after the war, and everything that followed I feel like I earned it’

‘Hmpf’ She frowned at him and then laughed ‘Did you forget? I was also there, as a healer. I had to work harder than many a soldier, and you don’t see me just retiring’

‘So, what are your plans then, oh esteemed miss Jeanne’

‘Well, I am pleased you ask, sir warrior’ She laughed and then closed her eyes again ‘I… would like tooooo, rebuild my shop, maybe build myself a cottage somewhere if I can afford it, maybe start my own garden for ingredients by that cottage. Aaand in the end maybe start a family or something’

‘Big plans I see’ He chuckled ‘But definitely achievable I’d say’

‘Perceptive as ever’ She smiled ‘But I’ve got time’ she then sat up again and suppressed a yawn ‘Can’t we just stay here all day, maybe sleep a bit, enjoy the peace and quiet?’

‘Of course’ Framir dropped himself now on the grass in a comedic fashion ‘You hired me for the day, I don’t care what you do with the time’

‘It’s quite tempting’ She then quickly stood up and bowed over him ‘But that would be a big waste of time, as now’ she paused slightly and smiled mischievously ‘Now, I can use you to get me more ingredients’ she offered her hand in assistance to stand up ‘Come, if we hurry, I know a nice spot to relax after we’re done’

‘Well... ‘ he let out a fake yawn ‘I was just getting used to laying down, so you can go without me if you want’

‘I haven’t hired you to do nothing, sir warrior’

He closed his eyes and then yawned in an exaggerated fashion ‘If I remember correctly, you are not paying me at all’

That comment earned him a hard poke to the stomach, after which she started walking towards the forest ‘Come on, let’s go, sword man!’

He laughed and then stood up, following her to the forest. This time they searched for ingredients together, as Mushrooms required a very specific way of harvesting them. This made it so that practically, all he had to do was look around and carry the goods. It was boring work, but he didn’t mind. Lea was pleasant company, and the tree shadows caused for some much needed cool as opposed to the warm spring sun.

Lea was busy harvesting several Mora Tapinella shrooms when he noticed something in the distance. He stopped listening to Lea’s explanation on invisibility potion theories and instead focussed on the forest in front of him. They had threaded far off the beaten path and were essentially standing in the middle of the wilderness. He’d seen something move in the distance, behind the thick layers of trees. He couldn’t see it anymore now that it had disappeared in the dense treeline, but he could have sworn he’d seen something glimmer in the distance, reflecting the sunlight towards them.

‘Hey, Lea’

‘Yeah?’ She looked up from the mushrooms, surprised he had interjected her story.

He pointed at the treeline south of them ‘I saw something over there, can we go look?’

‘Uh, sure, what did you see?’

‘I’m not sure… it moved and had at least something that reflected the sunlight’ He crossed his arms and frowned ‘It might be bandits for all we know, so we’d better check it out’

‘Alright, but if it’s bandits, make sure to protect me, will you’ she laughed and held up her small harvesting knife ‘I know I look terrifying to you with such a weapon, but a bandit might not think the same way’

‘Oh damn, I had counted on you protecting us’ He smiled and then put his hand on the hilt of the sword strapped around his belt ‘But of course, that’s why you originally hired me, remember?’

‘Good, then let me finish harvesting these and we can go check your thing out’

She quickly finished up harvesting the mushrooms, putting them in one of the satchels she carried around her waist. They then slowly started walking towards the spot Framir had seen the sunlight reflected. It took a while to get there as the spot he’d seen was much further away from their previous position than he had originally estimated. However as they started to close in on the spot he carefully drew his sword and held up his hand, indicating for Lea to stop walking.

‘Do you hear that?’

‘What?’ She frowned, trying to listen ‘I don’t hear anything’

‘But I do’ Framir silently put a few more steps forward ‘I hear a slight creaking sound, be on your guard, I suspect there may be some undead skeletons in a clearing ahead’

‘What? Undead? Here?’

‘Yes, that’s what I suspect’

And he was right, as when they got closer to a clearing in front of them, and the line of trees became less dense they could see several raised skeletons, wearing a mix of both aldmeri and imperial armor, strolling across the clearing. He then turned around to Lea and whispered ‘Stay here, stay low, and if any of them come for you, call for me immediately, okay?’

‘Uhm okay’ She was slightly uneasy ‘Don’t do anything reckless, okay? I don’t want to have to paralyze you again’

‘I won’t’ At that he slowly walked forward, towards the clearing, and when he was close enough started sprinting towards the group of skeletons. He’d fought this type of creature many times before as they required only very little necromantic energy to be raised and were most used by apprentice necromancers. While beating them with a mace was definitely the easiest way to deal with them as it would break their bones, they were also easy enough to deal with using a sword. While most would simply target the head, he knew that it was important to take out the necromantic incantation’s focal points. By for example slashing the spine, it was possible to take out a necromantic spell’s control over nearly all of the body and prevent any new spells from taking hold of the carcass, rather than trying to dismember the thing one by one.

He was quick, and the skeletons were extremely weak, as if conjured up by a child trying his first spells. The skeletons were slow, too slow, none of them even got to attempting a block or counter strike as Framir took them all down one by one, their swords and armor clattering on the ground. After all of them had quickly been dealt with he once more sheathed his sword and motioned for Lea to also join him in the clearing.

‘These skeletons… they weren’t all too old yet. I suspect these men fell during the early stages of the war, nine or ten years ago’ He frowned ‘If there is a necromancer in the area we should let the town know when we return’

‘Should we turn back?’ Lea said with a worried expression ‘Do you think it’s a threat?’

‘No, not yet’ He smiled slightly ‘We can take our time, as these things were incredibly weak, and the person that raised them must not have been much stronger. They wouldn’t dare attack the town in this state, perhaps these guys were even left over from the raid on the town and thus the spell had almost worn off. It’s hard to say, but we should definitely mention it when we return’

‘Alright, because we have a lot more ingredients to collect, we haven’t even been to the southern side of the forest yet’

‘Yes yes, I know’ he chuckled ‘Let’s go there now then, but be on your guard for other undead, okay?’

‘I will, turns out that protection was useful after all, huh?’

‘Quite right’ He grinned as he followed her into the forest.

But they saw no further undead, even though they were on the lookout for further anomalies there was nothing but serene silence and the sounds of animals one could hear in the forest. They would spend another three hours searching around the forest, finding several useful ingredients for a variety of potions. When all of the satchels they had brought were filled up, Lea led him out of the forest towards a resting spot for them to spend some time before returning to the town.

When they reached the top of a small hill next to the river that led to the village Lea dropped down on the grass ‘This is it, what do you think?’

‘It’s quite the nice place’ He looked around and gazed towards the east. They had a great view of the town and it’s surrounding plains there, to the south they were able to see the forest they had just left in the distance, and in the north and west they had a good view of the surrounding countryside with several small farms dotting the landscape. He squinted his eyes, trying to see Leyawiin in the north, but it was too far away to be seen by regular eyes. ‘The view here is amazing, this spot really is a nice find’

‘Why thank you, I’m glad you like it’ Lea crossed her legs as she gazed west, towards the spot where within a few hours the sun would start disappearing behind the horizon. ‘Come sit with me’ she smiled and pat on the spot next to her.

‘Alright’ he sat down next to her and followed her gaze across the horizon, both taking in the view in silence ‘What are you thinking about?’

‘Not much’ She shrugged ‘Just taking in the view’ she leant backwards, supporting herself with her arms, and slightly bit her lip ‘I hope you enjoyed yourself today’

‘I did’ He smiled ‘It was a welcome change after all the physical labour in town, how about you?’

‘Me? Hmhm’ She closed her eyes and smiled ‘I had a great day so far, you are far better company than the empty space I’ll usually talk to while gathering ingredients’

‘That’s good to hear’

‘Yeah’ She opened her eyes and looked at him ‘we should do this again sometime, I can really use the help’ she grinned ‘And having you around isn’t half bad’

‘Sure’ He also smiled, looking at the river in front of them ‘Feel free to ask me when you need help, I enjoyed it a lot today’

‘Good!’ She blushed slightly and then turned silent, joining him in staring at the river. They would spend about thirty more minutes on the hilltop, enjoying each other’s company and talking about their plans for the next day. Framir suspected he’d once again be helping with the construction, while Lea enthusiastically described several potions she’d be making in her improvised laboratory. When they both stood up, they proceeded to walk back to the town together. The weather was calm, and the walk throughout the fields was very pleasant because of it. On their way to town Lea was able to harvest several more ingredients they found along the road, causing them to spend almost an hour on the road for a journey that should have taken less than half an hour. When they finally reached the town gates the sun was already preparing to set and most townsfolk were enjoying their improvised dinners. When they reached the southern district they saw how over the course of the day, significant progress had been made on the construction of new lodges. With more and more townspeople being healed up, and resource production being streamlined, construction had really taken off and the town was well under way to once more being able to house it’s own citizens.

Framir helped carry the satchels with ingredients to Lea’s quarters, carrying them through most of the town and delivering them to her room. Once they had all been delivered, her desk was a mishmash of satchels and pouches, all randomly thrown upon each other. They both stared at the pile of ingredients and Lea chuckled ‘Well, this is gonna take some time to organise’

‘You think?’ He smiled ‘Fortunately, thaaat is not my job. So I wish you much luck with that, miss Jeanne’

‘Lucky bastard’ She shrugged ‘Have fun carrying heavy logs then’ she laughed and then smiled ‘But thank you so much for your help today’ she hesitantly stepped forward and hugged him ‘It means a lot to me’

He accepted her embrace, slightly fluttered by the expression it took a split second for him to return the gesture by wrapping his arms around her back. It was over fairly quickly, with the two separating again after a few seconds. Lea slightly blushed and seemed a bit fluttered by the previous encounter as they wished each other farewell. When he stood outside of her room he sighed _‘What am I doing?’_

But before he could mentally debate himself once more he was approached by Malenwen, coming at him with a big smirk on her face. He frowned ‘Were you spying on me?’

‘I wouldn’t call it that’ She motioned for him to follow her with a frown ‘Come and join me and Henrik at dinner if you will, we have much to discuss’

‘Are you talking abo-’

‘No’ She laughed ‘Don’t worry’ she then turned serious again ‘We spoke to some passing traders today and’ she shook her head ‘Let’s go to Henrik, he knows more of the details’

The two of them walked over to Henrik who was busy eating a meat skewer as he was sitting on a bench in front of one of the communal buildings. Malenwen greeted him as they approached ‘Hey old man, see who I’ve been able to get a hold of’

He looked up and smiled ‘Ah, good’ he then crossed his legs and frowned ‘I hope you had some fun today, but you missed quite a lot’ he ate a part of his meat skewer and then started recounting the things Framir had missed. It turned out that several traders had passed through the town earlier in the day. They had heard rumors indicating that the mercenaries who had attacked the town had gone rogue and had left the Bloodfall queen’s service. They had told the townsfolk that these mercenaries had now turned bandit and were camping out in a forest in the north of the Bloodfall Kingdom, close to the border with county Leyawiin.

‘So’ Henrik said as he finished his skewer ‘Malenwen and I want to go and deal with them, make them pay for what they did’ he frowned deeply ‘Even if they did not cause the fire, their actions were disproportional. Are you in, boy? We could use your help’

‘Yeah’ He nodded ‘Especially now that they are bandits’

‘Good’ Henrik nodded ‘I already talked to Junius about it, he agrees that we can’t leave this without consequence’ he then nodded at Malenwen ‘And then something else, Junius came to us earlier today saying that he wishes to create a town council to govern until we have sorted out our issues with the queen’ Henrik chuckled ‘We are still not on the best of terms with our gracious highness, as you could probably guess. And now that the town is starting to become an actual town again, Junius wishes to get some more input from others’

‘Yeah’ Malenwen added ‘He wants one of us on the council as well, as the town’s protectors. I think Henrik should do it, do you agree?’

‘I think so’ Framir nodded ‘I think that would be best, are you okay with it too, Henrik?’

‘Of course’ the old man nodded ‘But we wanted to wait for you to agree as well before submitting me to Junius’

‘Thanks’ Framir smiled ‘But other than that did anything peculiar happen?’

‘Not really’ Malenwen shrugged ‘Just more construction work, but how was your day?’

‘Good’ He nodded ‘But I’ve got something strange to report.’

‘Did she attempt to kiss yo-’

‘No’ Framir cut her off ‘We found some raised skeletons in the woods close to town. They were extremely weak, as if raised by a rookie. But apparently someone in town may be dabbling in necromancy, or someone raised them a long while ago and the spell was wearing off’

‘Hmhm’ Henrik frowned deeply and looked at Malenwen with a concerned expression and then back at Framir ‘The traders who crossed through town reported similar sightings across the region, weak undead being conjured in several places. They are speculating it’s a cult of some sort.. the idea that those kind of people may be living in the town… it’s concerning’ he took his pipe out of his pouch ‘I’ll inform Junius tonight when he’ll call the first town council, he will want to know this’

‘Good’ Framir nodded ‘I think even Lea could have dealt with those just with her fists, but their presence was alarming’

‘You are right’ Henrik blew out a ring of smoke ‘We should monitor the situation, and when we return from taking out those bandits tomorrow, we should try and train some people in self defense. I’ve seen some of the people keeping watch swing a sword, and I don’t think those people will even be able to kill a rabbit, much less bandits or put down necromantic skeletons’

‘Sounds like a plan’ Malenwen agreed and then nodded at Henrik ‘You should get to Junius, old man. Framir and I are going to get some dinner’

Malenwen and Framir ended up dining together, the food they had was simple, vegetables from the communal kitchens but it tasted quite good. Over the course of their dinner they were both silent, engrossed in thought about the day to come. Both of them had been so preoccupied that they did not notice they were joined by Lea. The brown haired alchemist had to repeat her greeting twice to get their attention ‘Helloooo?’

‘Oh, hey, Lea’ Malenwen laughed ‘Sorry about that, what’s up?’

‘I wondered if I could sit with you guys for dinner, I’ve decided to take a break before going back to the infirmary’

‘Of course, dear’ Malenwen shoved herself to the right, making some space on the boulder she’d been sitting on ‘So tell me’ Malenwen started as Lea sat down on the rock next to her ‘Did this guy treat you okay?’ She nodded at Framir, who’d so far been silent and had merely greeted Lea at her arrival.

‘Wellll…..’ The Breton started with a comedic frown ‘He just up and bailed on me in the end’

‘Hey, Hey, Hey’ Framir said with a frown ‘I helped you carry all the ingredients to your room!’

‘I know’ She laughed ‘I was just kidding’ she turned back to Malenwen ‘He was great, actually, he gallantly protected me from some skeletons we found, did he tell you about that?’

‘Yeah’ Malenwen nodded with a slight frown ‘It’s quite concerning, finding them so close to the town. We are thinking of training some of the townsfolk in basic combat after we return’

‘Oh? Where are you going?’

Framir pointed north ‘We’ve heard some rumors of the whereabouts of the men who attacked the town. They are apparently holed up in the north of the kingdom and have turned bandit. So we’re going to try and take them down, perhaps there’s even a reward on their head or they might have some loot left from the town’

‘Ah, do be careful. I wouldn’t want to have any of you two in the infirmary any time soon’ She looked at the town hall ‘Is old Henrik also going?’

‘Yeah’ Malenwen nodded ‘It was his idea’

‘I see, well, again, do be careful’ She frowned, biting on her lower lip in thought ‘If I remember those men correctly you will be outnumbered almost three to one.’

‘We’ll be careful, don’t worry’ The high elf laughed ‘When have I ever not been careful?’

‘I have the sudden urge to make a list of times you and old Henrik landed in my shop, sometimes in the middle of the night, looking for healing potions, in the two years since I have been here alone’

‘Hush’ Malenwen put her chin up and then chuckled ‘Don’t worry Lea, we know what we’re doing’

‘I hope so..’

The following morning, Malenwen, Henrik and Framir stood up almost half an hour before sunrise. The air outside was still chilly as to the east a slight glow started forming behind the horizon, indicating the imminent sunrise. They had gotten up early in the hopes of reaching the Bloodfall kingdom’s northern forests by noon, so that they would be able to get back to town within the same day. Framir and Malenwen were both preoccupied with eating their breakfast, a small bread complemented with a small cup of milk. It wasn’t much, but it would do until noon. For lunch they had taken some more bread and the three had filled their canteens with water. As they walked down to the gates, Henrik approached them with three horses he was guiding towards them on a leash. Framir’s horse, the same one he’d arrived with in the village looked healthy, it had been taken care of by a local farm in exchange for being able to use it in the transportation of materials.

When they came closer he approached his horse with a smile and stroked her large head ‘Hey girl, how have you been doing?’

The horse neighed softly and he chuckled, earning them a laugh from Malenwen ‘Were you so lonely before that you just talked to your horse?’

‘What of it?’ Framir laughed as he ascended on his horse ‘You used to talk to the old man every day, you don’t hear me judge you’

‘Hey, keep me out of this’ Henrik laughed as he took his breakfast from Malenwen ‘You two give me a headache so early in the morning’

The three of them chuckled at that and then slowly started trotting towards the village’s gate. The subsequent day was quite pleasant, all things considered. The air was comfortable, and as they rode through the hills, fields and forests of the northern reaches of the kingdom they came ever closer to their destination. Despite being quite close to county Leyawiin, the Bloodfall kingdom could rightly be called an outer region. Most of the towns, and the queen’s castle were built around an old road leading south from the city of Leyawiin through the far reaches of it’s forests. The road quite literally led nowhere save for a few small villages, the kingdom had no major ports or trading hubs. Save for some forts on the border with Elsweyr which were in active use by the Imperial legion, the kingdom was usually left alone by the imperial authorities. Only a few traders would cross the border into the imperial vassal kingdom, and those traders that did cross into the kingdom would usually only visit it’s northernmost towns. The town of Rivercrest, still relatively in the north, would usually be their second to last step until turning back to richer lands. With the last step usually being the town of Edgewater, half a day’s ride south of Rivercrest. From that town the queen would usually conduct the kingdom’s trading business, as it was only a few hours from the keep from which she governed the land in name of the Emperor.

Once the sun stood high in the sky they started coming close to a dense forest, before riding into it they decided to have lunch and plan their approach. From a few travellers on the road from Leyawiin they had heard the bandits had holed themselves up in an abandoned Dominion outpost out in the forest, just a few minutes from the main road. From that outpost the city of Leyawiin could be seen in the distance, and the travellers had said that county Leyawiin had even committed some soldiers to it’s border in order to keep their side of the forest secure. Henrik had laughed at hearing that, saying the bureaucrats from the city often couldn’t be bothered to help the kingdom out. But now knowing their location they could make a plan for attacking the bandits.

Assuming the outpost was structured like most old Dominion outposts, it was likely built hastily and according to a standard blueprint. This would mean that they would be able to easily access the structure as many of the outposts had begun crumbing due to poor construction quality, causing for large gaps in the walls. The Dominion had likely planned to replace them at some point, but due to the unexpected Imperial victory at Red Ring, and following end to the war they had usually just abandoned these forts, leaving them to rot.

It was around half past one in the afternoon when they entered the forest, leaving their horses bound to a few trees in a small meadow a few minutes off the main road. Finding the outpost proved not to be too much of a problem. It was located on a small hill located in a large clearing of the forest. It had no doubt been a prime strategic location during the war as from it’s watchtower both sides of the forest could easily be kept an eye on. Unfortunately for the bandits they had not been able to use the tower, as it had collapsed onto the hillside. Leaving the outpost essentially blind, being surrounded by the dense forest.

The three town protectors carefully closed in on the fort, spotting a blind side on the south where no bandits had been posted. From the outside they could count four men, with possibly more inside the courtyard.

‘Alright’ Henrik whispered ‘You two try and climb on the walls via those piles of rubble’ he pointed towards large piles of stone, stacked up against the walls which were likely the remains of the base of the old watchtower. ‘If you guys climb onto the walls, I’ll move right in, there are probably around two of them inside, so if you two both take different sides, we’ll each need to take out two’

‘Sounds like a plan’ Malenwen drew her sword and nodded at Framir, also drawing his sword ‘Let’s go’

Framir nodded and the two of them sprinted towards the piles of rubble. From the corner of his eye, Framir could see old Henrik grabbing his war axe with both his hands and also starting to sprint towards a large gash in the walls. The bandits were completely taken aback, none of them had seen the three warriors approach, and within a split second three of them already laid dead. Framir could hear the scream of one dying in the courtyard as he stabbed one bandit with a broken chainmail in the back, causing the man to drop on the ground. Framir then quickly jumped over the lump body, sliding his sword out of the body, running towards a second bandit, posted less than twenty meters away from him. He crossed the distance in a flash, breaking through the man’s defense using two fast strikes. As the bandit’s sword tumbled from his hands, Framir kicked him in his legs. The strong kick caused a painful crack, and the man sunk down on his knees, consumed by the pain in his leg.

By now the sounds of combat in the fort had died down, indicating all bandits had perished. Framir held his sword at the kneeling man’s neck and yelled at Henrik and Malenwen ‘I’ve got one here alive, come guys’ he then turned to the bandit, who was silent in fear ‘Do you recognise me?’

The man nodded quickly ‘Yes, please, let me go. I had nothing to do with the attack, captain Gorha-’

‘Silent’ Framir said as Henrik and Malenwen approached, Malenwen had a slight cut on her arm, but other than that both of them seemed fine ‘Tell us about the attack on our town, spare no details if you wish to live’

‘Well. uh..’ He started grimacing from the pain in his leg ‘The Queen, she told us to just scare the townsfolk into paying up. Nothing more’ he attempted to sit down on the stone, stretching his broken leg ‘I have no idea how the fire started, it must have been an accident, maybe Jonnash accidentally used a bolt spell or something. But the Queen was furious, I swear, that’s the truth. Neither we nor she wanted any of this to happen, pleas-’

‘Why did you turn bandit?’ Framir said, still holding his sword ready.

‘Undead started hounding us ever since we left the town, it was as if we were cursed until we reached the Queen’s castle. When we came there they just stayed there in the area, roaming around her castle, with more coming daily, none of us were hired to fight undead, so many of us left’

‘Cowards’ Henrik huffed ‘If the Queen intends to protect the realm with scum like you I wouldn’t know why we are all still alive in the first place’

‘Call me a coward all you like’ The man grimaced ‘I got to live another day, that’s what counts’

‘And now you’ll die here’ Malenwen said with an angry expression, but Framir stopped her.

‘Wait’ He bowed closer to the bandit ‘Give us one reason we should let you live, a good one’

‘I have none’ The man said with a soft voice ‘But I told you what you wanted to know, I didn’t lie, I swear’

Framir sighed and looked at Malenwen with a raised brow. She shook her head and put her sword away, then turning to the bandit ‘There’s been enough blood spilling, make sure we never see or hear of you again after you wake up’

‘Wake u-’ the man started but then passed out after Henrik gave him a powerful punch on the back of his head.

‘What about his leg?’

‘He’ll recover’ Framir shrugged ‘There’s no bleeding so he won’t die of it’

‘Good’ Henrik said as he spat on the ground ‘I don’t know how to feel about letting this one live’

‘Me neither’ Malenwen sighed ‘But we aren’t bandits, he told us what he knew, and with that leg he paid for what he did’

‘Alright’ Henrik nodded slowly ‘Let’s see what there’s left to loot here and get back to town, there’s a lot we need to discuss’

They quickly searched the outpost and ended up finding several valuable items the bandits had no doubt stolen of innocent travellers. They found several sacks of grain, a small stash of Septims and in addition to that some jewellery. None of it was particularly expensive, but the town would be able to sell it for some funds at the least.

When they were back with their horses and had bound the grain sacks on the backs of the animals they started slowly trotting back towards the south. When they approached town once more, the sun had already begun to set. The journey home had been silent, all of them pondering the information the bandit had given them, saving the conversation for home.

Malenwen’s arm had been bandaged by Henrik, and slightly healed by Framir’s magic. But unfortunately the cut had been a bit too deep, and had damaged one of the muscles underneath, leading them to immediately help Malenwen get to the small town infirmary after unloading the grain sacks. The infirmary was almost completely empty, with most of the villagers having healed, Lea and the old priest Guthrum had not had a lot of work in the past days. When they entered, the priest and the alchemist were playing a card game the priest had bought off some merchants the previous day. Lea looked up when they entered and immediately sprinted towards them with a frown ‘What has happened? Who got injured? I told you to be carefu-’

‘It’s my arm’ Malenwen grimaced as she stretched it ‘Framir was able to heal it up, but the muscle is damaged it seems’

‘Oh thank the gods’ Lea chuckled ‘That’s easily fixable, please, sit down’ she looked over at Guthrum, the old priest with the red-grey beard had already stood up ‘Can you fetch me a medium-strong healing concoction Guthrum’

‘I was already on my way’

‘Good, thanks’ Lea guided Malenwen to the chair where she sat before, positioning Malenwen’s arm on the table she’d been playing cards on ‘Alright Malenwen, you know the drill’

‘Yeah yeah, cut it open’ Malenwen looked at Framir and Henrik, who both sat down on an empty cot ‘So, now that we’re finally sitting, what do you guys think?’

‘It’s obvious isn’t it?’ Framir frowned ‘The statue, when it broke, it likely caused whatever happened to those men with the undead, and if I can make a wild guess I suspect the undead Lea and I saw are likely caused by the same phenomenon’

‘I’m sorry, I know I’m short and not that big of a presence, but you forgot im here too, what are you guys talking about?’

‘Oh, sorry Lea’ Malenwen said with an apologetic smile.

They quickly summarised what they had learned during the day, about the sudden spawning of undead that had harried the men that had attacked the town, which apparently now haunted the Queen’s castle.

‘I must agree with Framir’ Lea said, slightly biting her lip in concentration as she cut open Malenwen’s healed wound with a precise incision.

‘So do I’ Henrik nodded, busy filling his pipe ‘It seems too big of a coincidence’

‘Yeah’ Malenwen nodded with a slight grimace as Lea cut open her arm ‘We should check with Saashi, see if she found something about the statue’

‘Oh she did’ Lea said as she took the small bottle Guthrum had fetched her from the table and started precisely applying it to Malenwen’s muscle, holding the two halves together with a strange metallic device which looked extremely painful. ‘Saashi was asking about you guys, as apparently she stumbled into a new section of that tomb and needed help’ Lea continued as she started rubbing more of the potion into the wound, in order to close it ‘She asked Junius and me to send you to her tomorrow morning. She’s sleeping now, the poor girl seems to work herself to the bone in that dusty tomb’

‘Hmhm’ Henrik frowned as he blew a smoke ring ‘Perhaps the tomb will contain answers to whatever the founder’s statue was trying to seal away’

‘There’s a chance it will’ Framir nodded ‘If not, we might have to warn that queen’ he looked around at their puzzled expressions ‘You heard what the bandit said, the Queen was furious at them for the fire’

‘But we haven’t exactly had any help from her either’ Malenwen shook her head ‘Going to her right now seems like a bad idea, as she is still the one who sent those men’

‘If what the bandit said is true, it seems she doesn’t have a lot of resources to help at the moment, with a lot of her mercenaries walking out on her due to the undead’

‘The boy is right’ Henrik blew a smoke ring as he observed them ‘The Queen might not be our best friend, but this is about all of the realm. That bandit said that more undead were coming to her castle by the day, if that continues it might be a threat to the entire region, heck, maybe the entire empire’ he frowned deeply ‘The queen needs to know about all this, especially if the tomb contains more answers’

‘Alright old man, count me convinced’ Malenwen chuckled as Lea rubbed the final drops of potion in her wound, causing it to slowly close ‘But I’d rather not go, if I’m honest’

‘Who is going is a worry for later, we should all hit the hay and see what Saashi has for us tomorrow’

They agreed, and all thanked Lea for her help with Malenwen’s wound. They then bid her farewell and all went to their separate bedchambers after hastily eating a simple dinner. That night Framir was barely able to rest. He was haunted by dreams once more, which caused his body to contract some severe exhaustion during the night.

_His horse neighed loudly as he spurred her on over the plains of the Heartland. In the far west, far over the hills he could see the glow of fires around Skingrad. The city had been besieged over the past four days, only magical communication had still found it’s way through to the outside for the past day and a half. When he’d left the Imperial city, the garrison had reported it could hold out for not much longer than a few additional days without aid. The emperor had commanded them to hold firm so the fifth legion would be able to form a defensive line in the hills, blocking the gold road. On his way from the Imperial city he’d passed hundreds of refugees, fleeing the violence in the countryside. The Dominion armies seemed hellbent on harvesting all resources from the land they crossed and put it’s previous owners into forced labour. This news had reached most of the villages and farms in the region, causing hordes of people to pack up and seek refuge behind imperial defensive lines._

_After almost half an hour in full gallop he saw large military camps, hastily assembled along the gold road. In front of the camp the soldiers were assembling an array of catapults, ballistas and mage platforms. As he approached the camp, many soldiers looked up at him, most of them had been focussed on their tasks, sharpening swords, carrying materials and strengthening the camp._

_He approached one of the soldiers ‘Where’s general Marilaud?’_

_‘To the west, sir’ the Soldier said with a nod to the catapults ‘She’s inspecting the artillery’_

_‘Thank you’ He spurred his horse in a slow gallop towards the line and saw the familiar figure of the Breton general Belona Marilaud, a middle aged woman with dark hair, a stern face and a large scar on her right leg. He’d met her a few times before at the imperial war ministry, but that was before the war. As he approached he held up his hand in greeting as he approached and got off his horse in front of her and her officers._

_‘Ah, Raven, what are you doing here?’ The general said, bruskly shaking his hand ‘Have you come to fight?’_

_‘No, I have not’ Framir shook his head ‘How are the preparations going?’_

_‘Bad’ Was all she said ‘The pointy ears seem to have already broken through the line at bloodcrust hill, several of our units there seem to have routed into the cavern is the last I heard before communication was cut off’ she pointed at the city in the distance ‘Skingrad is done for, magical communication has ceased. I’d say the elves are storming the castle now’ she then pointed at the hills before them ‘Within 48 hours it will be a bloodbath here, we’re doing what we can. But the third legion has been cut off from retreat, without those reinforcements I doubt we’ll be able to hold the line for long’_

_‘Damn’_

_‘You can say that twice’ she stared at the fields in front of them ‘Why have you come?’_

_‘My grandmaster has sent me to find out what the Dominion army looks like’ He frowned ‘We’ve gotten reports at Cloud Ruler temple that they use Daedra, is that true?’_

_‘Hell if I know’ The general spat on the ground ‘They smashed so quickly through our southern defenses that some men say Mehrunes Dagon himself must be behind it’_

_‘So, no credible reports?’_

_‘No, nothing out of the ordinary. Seems to be just Elves and cats at the moment, maybe some summoners have used a few Daedra, but nothing so grand scale that command has noticed’_

_‘I see’ He nodded ‘Thank you for your time, general’_

_‘No problem’ He wanted to get back on his horse but before he could he was stopped by the general ‘Raven, wait’ he turned around, his brow raised in anticipation ‘I need you to deliver the emperor a message’_

_‘Don’t you have a mage or a courier?’_

_‘I do, but you’ll be faster than a courier, and more discreet than a mage, most likely’_

_He nodded as she bowed over to him ‘Tell the emperor that we don’t stand a chance, we need to retreat to the Derelict hills if we are to stand even a remote chance. I can’t relay this via a courier or mage, they’ll talk, and it will demotivate the men even more’_

_He nodded ‘I will do what I can to get your message through’ he shook her hand ‘Good luck, general’_

_‘Thanks, we will need it’ She nodded ‘I doubt you will reach his majesty in time, but I’ll pray to Stendarr you will’ Suddenly a loud explosion sounded from the west, and a cloud of smoke started rising from Skingrad ‘Go!’ The general yelled and then turned to her men as he ascended his horse ‘Get your men! We’ll need to meet them in the field, get the arti-’_

_Her sentence was cut off by the sound of his horse as he pulled the reigns to make her gallop. As he sped through the camp, soldiers left and right were making their way to the front, swords, spears and axes in hand. Framir knew he would never reach the emperor in time, Skingrad had fallen, these men would see combat on the fields within twelve hours. If they were lucky, whatever remained of the third legion would be able to link up, but if the reports about the Aldmeri army were true, it would mean that even with the reinforcements they would get decimated._

_Framir galloped down the road, but suddenly his vision got clouded by a bright orange light north of him. He looked up at it, and suddenly noticed he was standing on a blackened field, all it’s grass and vegetation burned up, bodies everywhere, human bodies, elven bodies. It had been a slaughter, he looked up and saw the imperial city’s White Gold spire rise up behind him, the walls of the city had been breached. The eight legion, destroyed, the emperor gone. He looked down and suddenly noticed the body in front of him, half buried in dirt, was Henrik._

_He breathed out slowly ‘It’s a dream’ he said it to himself again ‘It’s a dream!’_ then he woke up, once again drenched in sweat. He looked around, there was nobody awake.

_‘At least I was silent this time’_

He looked at the windows of the communal building and saw a faint glow of the first sunlight. He then decided to silently get dressed and head out in order to get some fresh air and an early breakfast.

He put on a simple tunic and silently headed out, trying not to wake the other occupants of the building. The air was chilly, and save for a few other early risers and the night watch, everything was quiet. He went to the improvised town storehouse and got himself a light breakfast consisting of some vegetables and fruit. The bread for the day wasn’t finished just yet, so he had to do with whatever vegetables were left from the previous evening. He was about half way finishing his meal while sitting on a large rock, when he was approached by a familiar Khajiiti voice.

‘Framir! Saashi was looking for you, Malenwen and old Henrik yesterday’ the young Khajiit sat down after Framir greeted her and started on her own breakfast ‘Saashi stumbled upon a secret lever yesterday, it unlocked the large door, giving access to a larger part of the tomb’

‘Did you find anything of note?’

‘Saashi found only more wights, and then headed out’

‘I see’ Framir smiled slightly ‘So you need us to clear them?’

‘Yes, exactly’ Saashi nodded energetically ‘Saashi wants to find out what lies behind, it must be something quite special if the ancients made it so hard to reach’

‘Yeah, let’s wait for Henrik and Malenwen to wake up and we’ll head in’

‘Thank you, Saashi is very grateful’

‘Say, Saashi, can I ask you something?’

‘Of course, what is it?’

‘I don’t mean to offend. But you don’t exactly seem to speak like most Khajiit I met, but also not fully “normal”, is there a reason for that?’

‘Ah, that’ Saashi smiled slightly ‘Saashi left Elsweyr as a little cub, when she was very young’ she yawned ‘Saashi then grew up in Skyrim, speech patterns are very difficult to learn for Khajiit… Saashi has tried… but she has limited success’

‘That’s okay’ Framir chuckled ‘I was just wondering, and I can understand you perfectly, don’t worry’

‘That is very good to hear’ Saashi nodded with a smile. She then looked up to one of the buildings, as a sleepy Malenwen, still dressed in her short sleepwear stumbled out of one of the buildings. She yawned and waved at Framir and Saashi when she saw them and approached ‘Hey’

‘Hey, slept well?’

‘Yeah, like a baby after yesterday. How about you?’

‘Could have been better’

‘Ah, tough luck’ She then turned to Saashi ‘I see you’ve claimed my associate here already, you needed our help again?’

‘Yes, Saashi indeed does’

Saashi explained the situation to Malenwen and then had to start over with her explanation half way through the story when they were joined by Henrik. When all three of them had finished listening Henrik nodded ‘We’ll head in later this morning, unless one of these two objects that’

‘No complaints from me’

‘Me neither’ Framir shook his head ‘Is there anything we should be looking for down there?’

‘Not particularly, but keep your eyes open for inscriptions and runes. It would make Saashi’s life easier’

‘Will do, Saashi’

The three of them quickly finished their breakfast, after which they went back to their beds in order to equip their weapons and armor. That previous night Framir had left the broken chainmail he’d been wearing so far with Lond, the blacksmith to get it repaired using some rings Lond would be able to take off one of the bandit chainmails he looted the previous day. All in all it was a pleasant morning, the chill that had been in the air during their early breakfast quickly evaporated and was replaced by a comfortable spring sun. It had now been three weeks since the town fire, and the rebuilding efforts really started to show. With more people being able to work, construction went smoothly and the second district was almost completely filled with housings now, causing for almost half of the surviving villagers to have found a new home. The three of them walked through the new district, on their way to the ruins of the founders statue further up in town.

They were mostly silent as they walked up to the tunnel entrance which had been closed with a makeshift trapdoor. Henrik opened the trapdoor ‘After you’

The three of them headed in through the tunnels, quickly reaching the tomb they had explored last time. Unlike last time, the entire thing was properly lit using long lasting bright candles and they could see the fruits of Saashi’s excavation efforts. Many of the coffins had been turned up with their inscriptions at eye level ready for study. Stacks of paper littered the embalming table in the center of the room. Malenwen peeked a glance at the papers ‘She’s certainly been keeping herself busy, I can’t even write all of this in a month’

‘Where did she get those candles? It’s not like we just have those laying around in the town’

‘Junius gave her some funds and she traded them with the merchant caravan that passed through’ Henrik said as they continued walking towards the room with the large sarcophagus ‘It was a good idea, as we can at least properly see here now’

‘Last time we could barely see two steps ahead, remember?’ Malenwen opened the door to the burial chamber and stepped in first. ‘Woah, she has really kept herself busy’

When they stepped in they saw the large, regally decorated sarcophagus was also littered in papers and had been fully cleaned off dust, trying to get the runes and inscriptions as clear as possible.

‘Framir, Old man, what do you think? Should we just head in?’ Malenwen put her hand on the now unlocked door ‘If need be we can encircle whatever is in there back in this chamber, right?’

‘Yeah, let’s go’

All three of them drew their swords, lit a torch and Framir conjured up a small magelight, which flew into the tunnel behind the richly decorated door, staying several meters in front of them. The tunnel beyond the door was long, and took them far deeper under the town. Once they reached it’s end, they could clearly hear the wights, shades of ancient Ayleids, below.

‘From what I can hear…’ Framir whispered ‘It’s just a few of them, we can definitely handle this, let’s go’

They headed down with their weapons drawn. The moment they left the tunnel, they saw Framir was right. They stood in a single small space, barely bigger than a nordic longhouse used by Jarls. Only three wights approached them as they entered, and those three were quickly dealt with by the three experienced warriors. Once their bodies were laying on the ground they took a good look at the room they were standing in.

‘Woah’ Malenwen whistled through her teeth ‘Saashi will be happy with this’

As they looked around they saw several stacks of old tablets, filled to the brim with runes and inscriptions. Taking a quick look at them, they saw the tablets also contained elaborate symbols and drawings ‘We should report back to Saashi’ Henrik said as he looked around with a frown ‘She’ll want to start on these as soon as possible’

After exploring the room some more and not really finding anything of note they quickly headed out, only for them to find Saashi nervously standing at the entrance, waiting for them. When she saw them come out of the tunnel she sighed in relief ‘Did you find something? Tell Saashi’

‘We found several old inscribed tablets you will probably want to take a look at’

‘You did?’ She waggled her tail in excitement ‘Wonderful! Those must have quite the story to tell!’ she grabbed a pack that was standing next to her and flung it over her shoulder, not waiting for another response she immediately headed in ‘Saashi will begin deciphering them right away!’ At that she disappeared into the tunnels, leaving them behind looking at each other.

‘Well, good for her. Framir, old man, are you guys up for some sparring before we help out the construction’

‘Perhaps’ Henrik nodded ‘But it’s still early, let’s go to Junius and tell him of what we learned yesterday. I haven’t seen the old coot anywhere and he will want to know about the Queen’s reaction to the fire, and her undead problem which might be linked to our statue’

‘So, we’re really going to be helping the Queen, aren’t we?’

‘Come on Malenwen, when has she ever treated us badly in the past years?’

‘Do you want me to make a list, orrr?’

‘No’ Henrik laughed as they walked back to the town center ‘Queen Urzoga might not be the ideal ruler, but she cares for this land. Ever since her men left this town in ruins I’ve been wondering whether she condoned all this, turns out she didn’t, so while she might not be our friend exactly. She’s definitely best kept as an ally, wouldn’t you agree?’

‘Right as always, old man’ Malenwen stretched her arms and yawned ‘Let’s find Junius then and be done with it.’

They walked down the town center and found Junius in the town hall, which had been cleared of occupants that had all moved into the other communal buildings. Junius had been granted a small office by the villagers, and there was talk that as soon as the town would be back on it’s feet he would be appointed Major.

The old man was sitting at a small desk in his office and he looked up with a smile, he seemed tired but healthy. ‘Good day, not every day the town protectors come to me, what can I do for you?’

‘We’ve got some things to report, about the bandits we went to hunt down yesterday and on our plans for the coming weeks’

‘I see, I’m afraid I don't have a lot of time. I am reviewing the town’s finances and I’m heading out to review the construction in a bit’

‘Don’t worry, this won’t take long’ Henrik sat down on a small chair in a corner of the room ‘The men we hunted down were indeed the ones that raided the town, but, we found out some quite interesting information’

‘Oh?’ Junius put down his papers and folded his hands ‘Tell me’

‘The men said the queen had been furious after hearing of the fire, indicating this definitely hadn’t been her intention. And to make matters worse, it seems the queen and her men are having an undead problem that may be linked to the destruction of the founders statue, similar to the undead Framir and Lea Jeanne dealt with in the forest close to town’ Henrik stroked his beard ‘Even Though we might not be on the best terms, I think we should send someone to warn the queen and inform her that her problem might be linked to our town. Saashi is hard at work trying to find out what might have caused it, but for now we think it has to do with the founder's statue having functioned as a seal of some sort. And that whatever it kept in, is now once more free’

Junius was silent for almost a minute, frowning in deep thought ‘This all sounds quite ominous, and if what you say is true we should definitely send word to the queen’ he then looked at Framir and Malenwen ‘If this undead problem is truly as bad as you make it sound I’d ask one of you to go to the queen as you will be able to defend yourself properly against those scourges’

‘Sure thing’ Framir nodded ‘I’ll go, if Malenwen and Henrik are okay with that, I’d love to meet that queen’

‘As long as I don’t have to do it’ Malenwen laughed ‘But that is good, as Henrik and I were planning to give some of the townsfolk some combat training in the coming days. Having those undead so close to town made us uncomfortable, and now that we know it’s a larger phenomenon, training some people could be wise’

‘I couldn’t agree more’ Junius nodded and then turned to Framir ‘I’d request that you leave at the earliest convenience, if what you say is true, the queen absolutely needs to know. She might actually prove a valuable ally when all is said and done’

‘I will, how long is it to the queen’s castle?’

‘On a fast horse? About seven hours with breaks, if you’re fast you will reach her before sunset’ Junius took a small pouch of coins from his desk ‘Use this to book an inn at the nearby town of Alnwick and return tomorrow morning’

‘I will, thank you Junius’

The three of them quickly left Junius’ office and once they stood back on the square he bid Henrik and Malenwen farewell. The two of them would join the construction effort today and try to get some people up for combat training in the following days. Meanwhile Framir went back to his bed where he fetched his backpack and then headed back out. Before heading to the farms to pick up his horse he decided to make a short stop at the infirmary. There he found Lea and Guthrum tending to an unconscious badly wounded man.

‘Hey!’ Lea looked up from her work with a smile when he approached ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I came to ask whether you had some potions to spare, I’m heading out for the queen’s castle and I might need to fight some undead on the way’

‘Oh, of course’ She looked at Guthrum ‘Can you keep applying the ointment while I fetch him some?’

The old priest nodded, after which Lea quickly went into a backroom.

‘Will he make it?’ Framir said with a concerned look at the wounded man.

‘Yes, he will be fine’ Guthrum said in his coarse voice ‘He was with one of the groups that had to dismantle the ruins around town for resources, poor sod got a large log falling on him’

‘Damn, tough luck’

‘Indeed, but we have all the means now to heal him back to health’ The old priest inspected his neck ‘Although his neck may remain stiff for a few more months’

Framir looked up when Lea once more entered the room, some small vials in her hands. She handed them to him ‘Here you go, two small vials of healing potion, one strong and one weak. Only apply the strong on damaged muscle, organs and nerves. Apply the weak on simple cuts, I quickly labelled them for you. I also added in a medium-strong stamina potion, I doubt you’ll need it but it could be useful’

‘Thanks Lea, this is great’ He quickly put the vials in a protective pouch in his pack and smiled ‘These will definitely come in handy’

‘No problem’ She smiled proudly ‘I made them myself of the ingredients we gathered’ she lightly touched his arm ‘Be careful, okay?’

‘I will’ He smiled and then quickly headed off to get his horse. He was able to quickly retrieve his horse from the farm that was taking care of her, and after hastily saddling her he started his journey to the south. Within two hours he had passed the town of Edgewater and in another three hours he decided to take a short break to the side of the road and enjoy the scenery. He’d passed through several small forests, a town and some farms by now and it had so far been a very smooth ride. As he sipped from his canteen he observed the town in the distance, if Junius had been right, that must be Alnwick, the last town before reaching the queen’s castle. Like Rivercrest, Alnwick was a walled settlement built mostly around a small hill. It’s walls were slightly higher than that of Rivercrest and donned large imperial banners. When he finished the small lunch he’d taken with him, he once again got on his horse and made for the town ahead of him. After passing the gate without too much trouble he made his way for the Lazy Cat tavern, a small establishment on the edge of town that Henrik had told him was both cheap and adequate. When he had booked a room for the night he went back outside, climbing on his horse to cross the final miles to the queen’s castle. The townspeople had warned him of the undead roaming the countryside near the castle, apparently they wouldn’t often head out towards the town, but the queen’s men had nearly given up trying to protect the lands surrounding the castle, and had retreated back to the castle itself, knowing they didn’t seem to attack the surrounding villages.

When he approached the castle an hour later he didn’t see any undead. The small castle was built upon a steep hill overlooking the countryside, it was mostly surrounded by dense forests but a road led through the forest towards the castle. He threaded carefully on the road, holding the reigns of his horse tightly to quickly change into a gallop if need be. But over the course of the next half hour he did not encounter any undead, the way to the castle lay open to him it seemed. When he arrived at the castle’s main gate he saw several mercenary soldiers standing guard in front of it ‘Halt! State your business!’

‘I’m here as an envoy from the town of Rivercrest for her Majesty Urzoga gra-Batul, I bring news and an urgent message’

‘Come in quickly then, before those bastards come out’ they let him into the castle’s courtyard and instructed him to wait for one of the men which was headed for the queen. One of the watchmen told him how the undead raids had died down in quantity, but had increased in it’s viciousness. ‘At first it was just lousy skeletons hurling themselves at us.. now it’s wights and raised undead, they only attack by night and seem to increase in intellect, as if they are getting stronger’

‘That is not good’ Framir shook his head ‘I hope I’ll be able to get out for the night’

‘Lucky bastard’ The mercenary laughed and then looked up as one of the men approached ‘The chamberlain wishes to speak to this man’

‘Alright, we can let him through’ The original mercenary looked at Framir and motioned at the approaching soldier ‘Follow him, please. We’ll take care of your horse’

‘Thank you’ He followed one of the men into the castle where a Breton man with a lean face and dressed in mage robes was waiting for him ‘Good day, I am Edrien Geornis, the Queen’s mage, counselor and chamberlain, I hear you hail from Rivercrest’

‘I do, I suspect the Queen won’t be too happy to see me’

‘To the contrary’ The man motioned for him to follow ‘The Queen has been looking to send someone out to your town, but we have lost complete control over the surrounding area and cannot spare a single competent soldier at this moment, so I advised her against it’

‘I see’ Framir grinned bitterly ‘So what’s a breton doing in the court of a Cyrodillic orc Queen’

‘Her majesty prefers the term Orsimer’ The man said dryly ‘As for me, I am from Camlorn, it’s on the western coast of High Rock. After the war I was seeking a fair and just monarchy to serve, I found such a ruler here’

‘A ruler who shakes down her own people? You realise the fire that started in our town was partly caused by your Queen’s men’

‘Ah, yes, the fire. A terrible tragedy, certainly’ The mage frowned ‘As to what caused it, it’s hard for me to say. From what we took from the men who were to collect on your hamlet it sounded like there was some sort of protective enchantment on the statue’

‘You could say that’ Before Framir was able to continue the chamberlain opened the doors to a small throne room. The room’s floor was decorated with a simple red and black carpet, with imperial banners and Bloodfall banners, which depicted a traditional orcish skull on it, hanging on the walls. In the far end of the room stood a simple black throne with red cushions. On it sat a middle aged orcish woman with short hair, she wore gold trimmed ebony armor and seemed inpatient. ‘What took you so long, Edrien, we need to be ready for the defense tonight’

‘I’m sorry your majesty, here is the envoy from Rivercrest’

‘Ah, yes, the envoy’ The orcish woman spoke with a rough voice, but her features softened when she saw Framir ‘Welcome to my court, unfortunately I am short on time as we suspect the undead to attack within a few hours. But considering you came from Rivercrest I wanted to hear you out. I am terribly sorry for what happened to the town, and doubly so for the fact I have not been able to help’ she sighed ‘My men and I have had a bit of an undead problem as of late, as you have undoubtedly heard by now. But tell me, what is your name?’

‘My name is Framir, your Majesty’ He slightly bowed ‘And with all due respect, your men don’t seem in the best shape’

‘Hah’ She grinned bitterly ‘They are the best I could find in these times’ she then studied Framir’s face ‘I do not claim to know the citizens of Rivercrest well, but I have seen it’s warriors, you were not among them, have you only recently moved into the kingdom?’

‘Yes, your majesty. Your grandfather was still king when I left, I only recently returned’

‘I see’ She laughed ‘Must be quite the change to come home to. My grandfather could count on loyal soldiers to defend his realm. Most of them died with him in the damned war, and now I am forced to rely on mercenaries who are willing to work for a pittance, which is all I can afford’ she sighed ‘With them I must try and protect the realm against bandits, goblins and now the damned undead’ she looked at him with a sad expression ‘All of that costs money… and a lot of it at that. When a town doesn’t pay it’s due, I must act’ she held up her hand at his frowning face ‘That said, the fire was a complete accident. I specifically told them not to damage the village, or attack it’s people. For all that happened, I am truly sorry’

‘It’s done now’ Framir sighed ‘Our town and the kingdom must put aside the past differences, which is why I have come’ he pointed vaguely behind him ‘Those undead raids, we might have found out what is causing them’

‘Oh? That would be news to me, as we have been trying to figure that out for the past weeks’

‘Is it correct that the attacks started right after our village was raided?’

‘Yes’

‘Then that confirms our suspicions, when the statue of our town’s founder was destroyed, something escaped from the tombs underneath it. The statue must have had a seal of some sort. We found relatively newly resurrected undead in the tombs beneath, and we’ve had undead sightings around town, and from what I’ve heard of travellers, other parts of the kingdom also have undead sightings, be it not as fierce as the ones here at the castle’

‘So you think there is a link?’

‘Yes, we are quite sure’ He bit his lower lip ‘Did your men take anything from the statue? Anything the undead could be after, as it could explain why the attacks here are far more fierce’

‘They did’ The Queen nodded ‘My men brought back some enchanted stones and an ancient sealed scroll, they found them in the statue’s rubble. Do you think the undead are after them? Should we get rid of the artifacts?’

‘Not yet, we need to find out more about the statue and tomb first, our town loremaster is hard at work trying to find out what kind of thing the tomb might have housed’

‘Hmhm’ The queen frowned and then looked at Edrien ‘Call Wanum, I’m sending him with this man to Rivercrest so he can keep me updated’

‘My Queen, Wanum is one of our b-’

‘No, call him’ She then turned to Framir ‘Where are you spending the night? Alnwick?’

‘Yes, your Majesty’

‘Then go quickly, soon the undead will be here and you’ll want to be inside their walls, I’ll have my man Wanum meet you at their gate tomorrow morning’

‘Yes, your majesty’ Framir bowed and quickly made his way back to his horse and rode back out of the castle. There were no undead on his path yet, but as the sun started setting beyond the horizon the guardsmen of the castle closed the gates behind him, preparing for whatever was to come.

When he arrived back at the tavern he immediately went up to his room. While he was changing clothes he could hear the town gate being closed in hopes of protecting the town against any undead in case they would wander so far from the castle.

A few hours later he was silently enjoying a cup of ale at the tavern hall, thinking of the journey he’d have to make the following day. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to travelling with a government envoy and thus sighed. An hour before midnight he wanted to go back up to his room, when suddenly he heard the gates of the town being opened. He vaguely heard voices coming from outside, there was some commotion at the gates. He decided to check what was going on before going up to his room, as the town guard had told him the gates would not be opened under any circumstances during the night, with the undead threat looming.

When he left the tavern, which stood quite close to the gate he immediately heard the voices of the town guard ‘-she now?’

‘Still at the castle’

‘You just left her there? What about the others?’

‘Most of us ran when the gate fell, those damn walkers can have the castle if they so desperately want it’

Framir saw the conversation took place between the captain of the guard and a mercenary, who looked extremely beat up with a large cut across his face that had been sloppily healed.

‘Cowards, each and every one of you’

‘What’s going on?’ Framir approached the two and got a scowling look from the guard captain ‘None of your business, citizen’

‘I am not a citizen of your town, and quite capable. I might be able to help you here, so quit it with that attitude’ He crossed his arms ‘So, what’s going on?’

The guard captain was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained his posture ‘These mercenaries’ he pointed at a group of beat up warriors ‘They come from the queen’s castle, they straight up abandoned it, with the queen still inside after the first gates fell’

‘Will you send people to save her?’

‘I- I cant’ The guard captain frowned ‘I’m already low on personnel, and if those things attack here next I’m going to need every able body’

‘I’ll go’ Framir said after a moment of hesitation, whatever jewels and scroll the queen had meant during their conversation might have been linked to the founders statue, if the undead were truly there for those artifacts, he couldn’t let them take it.

‘Alone? Do you have a deathwish?’ The guard captain shook his head ‘No, I am not opening the gates again, my men should have kept it closed all along’

‘Well, do you want your queen to live? Or do you want me to just sit here and wait it out, I’m not one of your people, so you don’t need to protect me’ Framir sighed ‘I’ll go and get my gear and horse, let me leave when I return please.’

He didn’t wait for an answer and immediately headed back to the inn. When he got back with all his gear and his horse on a leash he was approached by the guard captain ‘I’ll let you out, but the gates will not be opened again until the morning, is that understood?’

‘Understood’

‘Alright’ The captain waved with his hands ‘Men, open the gates!’ he looked at Framir ‘I hope the divines view you favorably, warrior’

‘So do I’ He grinned and spurred his horse into a fast gallop, heading through the opening gate. He sped across the dark countryside, conjuring up a magelight to help him see in the dark. He knew that if he followed the road, he’d end up at the queen’s castle. At his current speed he’d likely be there within half an hour, if the Queen and her men were still holding the citadel, he would perhaps be able to get the artifacts out of her keep.

When he came closer to the keep he saw the orange glow of bright flames behind it’s walls, likely the Queen’s mage had used fire spells on the undead troops, something that was now visible from far away. He spurred on his horse even more, leaning over trying to get more speed. Once he came closer to the castle he could see the shadows of the undead, wandering against the lights of the flames. He heard magical explosions beyond the castle’s walls, indicating the fight was still on.

_‘Alright, let’s go’_ when he was coming close to the undead shadows he gripped his sword and used all the strength he had in his legs to jump out of the saddle. He gripped his sword with both hands and crossed the final meters between him and the undead in a flash, for all the infamy of how much stronger they had apparently become, the undead were still painfully slow, and in a few fluid strikes he had already put two of them down. He quickly bound his horse to a nearby tree and started running towards the castle. As he ran he kept his sword at the ready to strike down undead on his way. The closer he came, the more undead started blocking his path but his strikes were far to quick, and far too precise for the slow witted creatures. With the light of his magelight going out in front of him he was able to precisely see all the creatures ahead of him and would often jump forward, making quick strikes to put multiple down. Once he arrived at the castle gates, he had to put down several wights. When they lay dead on the ground he noticed something about the gates.

_“They aren’t broken… they are opened.. what happened here?”_

He ran on through the courtyard, putting the undead creatures down left and right, precisely stabbing them on their focal points or shattering bones. An onlooker might have gotten the impression he was executing a complicated dance as he threaded lightly and often backstepped, jumped and occasionally had to make quick turns to avoid strikes, but slowly he was clearing out the courtyard. However he suddenly heard more explosions from inside the castle, indicating the defenders seemed to have been driven into a corner.

He breathed in deeply, and with whatever energy he had left sprinted forward, not paying any mind to the undead on his way, dodging their strikes and every once in a while putting one down with a precise strike. Once he entered the castle, he saw that the doors to the throne room were broken, but a large group of undead was blocking the entrance. He kept running but closed his eyes, forming a strong kinetic enegy spell in his left hand, unleashing it just as he approached the undead. The sheer power from the spell, and it’s direction, from behind them, hadn’t been anticipated by the creatures. This caused them to stumble, giving him an opportunity to cut several of them down, but it wasn’t enough.

He had to backstep and make several quick strikes to avoid getting surrounded by several skeletons, but just as he wanted to retreat and try to find a set of stairs to attain some higher ground over the creatures a large fiery explosion impacted directly into the group of undead in front of the throne room door. This caused many of them to fall dead on the ground and from behind them he heard a voice ‘Whoever you are, and whatever you did, do it again!’

Despite his dire situation he couldn’t help but chuckle as he cut down several more skeletons and a wight, he doubted he’d have enough energy for another large blast, but decided to try anyway. He backed up slightly, forming the spell in his hands and then releasing it on the undead in the hallway. Following the loud bang of his spell, he heard several battle cries from the throne room and now saw a dozen figures with swords and axes plunging themselves into the group of undead. This distraction was all he’d needed, as the undead acted fully on instinct, causing them to abandon Framir for the loud group on the other side of the hallway. He took the small vial with stamina potion from his pack and hastily opened it, pouring the contents down his throat. As usual, it tasted disgusting, but after a few moments, while he was running back towards the horde, he suddenly felt a surge of energy flowing through his body. It was enough to revitalize him and have him cut down several more undead creatures. It took him and the group over ten minutes to fully clear out the hallway, and once they did, he saw that the group was headed by the Queen herself. She was drenched in undead blood and held a large ebony war axe’

‘Ah, my new favorite subject’ She spat on one of the undead bodies ‘I reckon you came with reinforcements?’

‘I didn’t’

‘By Malacath, how in Oblivion did you even get this far’

‘I fought, and dodged’ He pointed at the door to the castle’s courtyard and entrance hall ‘There’s several more of them alive there, I had to hurry inside’

‘By Mauloch’s arse’ She laughed ‘I don’t know how in Oblivion you did it, but let’s finish the job if you will’

The group, including Framir, went retraced Framir’s steps and put down whatever undead they encountered along the way. Once they were finished the queen was laughing and smashed her axe into the ground, leaning on it with her right arm ‘Malacath be praised, you really saved us there’ she roughly pat him on the back ‘I really thought we were a goner’

‘Yeah’ Framir slightly grinned ‘Luckily these undead weren’t that fast’

‘You can say that again, you were almost like a whirlwind’ she spat on the ground again, right on a felled undead body ‘But why’d you come?’

‘Because I suspected the undead were after that scroll or the jewels, if this castle fell, those would be in their hands now’

‘No matter your reasons, I am damn glad you came’ She motioned for him to follow ‘Follow me, I want to show you something’

He followed the queen into her keep while he saw the remaining men close the castle gates. She was silent, but Framir spoke up ‘What happened? How did they break through?’

‘They didn’t’ She said with a grim expression ‘We were safely behind the walls, sitting it out. When suddenly one of the mercs got cold feet and escaped through the gate, he was followed by several others who didn’t want to fight animated bodies. In that act they opened the gates for them, the creatures then stormed in by the dozens’

‘Damn’

‘Damn indeed, those traitors will hang, if they are still alive’

‘They are, they are at Alnwick’

‘Then you and Wanum will ride back there immediately after we are done. You will get some sleep, and Wanum will make sure they will pay for this reckless and traitorous deed’ she walked him into a tight hallway and retrieved a set of keys from her armor ‘But that is not why I have taken you here’ she walked up to a door and opened it, at the turning of the lock he could hear several mechanisms moving and once she pulled the door towards them he saw it had several lock mechanisms keeping the door in place. Beyond it was a small treasure room, she pointed at a large canister with several large jewels around it ‘As you can see, they are safe and sound. The scroll is in that sealed canister, to avoid damage’ she then closed the door again and crossed her arms ‘But now, let’s get to the point’ she frowned ‘Do you realise how much danger your presence brings to my kingdom?’

‘What do y-’

‘Don’t play dumb with me’ She chuckled ‘I’ve only ever seen a few people fight like you have, and all of them are now dead, in custody or have disappeared’ she sat down on a barrel in the hallway after locking the door again ‘I’m not stupid, and I’m grateful for what you did here today, so I won’t mention it. But if you get found out, and those damn Thalmor find out I have been working with you, they might raid the entire kingdom’

‘I have destroyed all proof of my former life and made myself unrecogni-’

‘And yet here we stand, and I know exactly what you used to be’ She pat him on the back and laughed ‘Don’t worry about me ratting you out, but you have to realise, if I can see what you were just by the way you fight, others will too’ she frowned ‘The people that are left here in the castle are trustworthy, and hate the Thalmor as much as the next person. But be careful, friend’

‘I will’ He nodded ‘Thank you, your Majesty’

‘No problem’ she motioned at his sword ‘Does anyone else know?’

‘The old warrior at our village, Henrik, he knows’

‘Do you plan on telling anyone else?’

‘Not yet’

‘Yet?’

‘Perhaps my other friends, someday, but not now’

‘Be careful, they may not have malicious intent. But they might accidentally spill the beans one day, even if it’s not their intention. And don’t forget, you put them at risk by just mentioning it to them’ she sighed ‘What about your name? Are you still using the same one?’

‘Yes, but my first name wasn’t known to any Thalmor, or even most people within our organisation, I mostly went by my alias, Raven’

‘I see, well I suppose it’s too late to change your name for the people of the town’ She frowned ‘Dayne Pure-Wish, use that name if you have to give a name to someone from outside your village’

‘Why that name?’

‘Because he just died tonight defending against the undead, he looks like you, and nobody will ever find out he died tonight. They will think he rode out of my castle today with Wanum towards Rivercrest’

‘I see, thank you’

‘Don’t thank me, I do it simply for the safety of this kingdom’ She chuckled ‘And a bit out of gratefulness to you’ she motioned him to follow her out of the hallway ‘But heed my words, Dayne, the Thalmor are everywhere. And if they find that Raven you were talking about, he’ll likely be dead soon, if he is still alive that is’

‘Yeah’ he chuckled ‘I wouldn’t want to be him’

A few hours before sunset of the next day Framir and the Argonian warrior Wanum rode through the gates of Rivercrest. Both were tired of the journey and the lack of sleep. Neither of them had slept longer than four hours that night, leaving them longing for the beds.

They left their horses at the stables and then Framir took Wanum to the town center. The Argonian was impressed by the rebuilding effort and commended them for their hard work. They walked up to the town center to the town hall where Framir hoped they would be able to find Junius. Once they reached the town hall Framir opened the door and headed straight for Junius’ office, knocking on the door.

‘Come in’

Framir opened the door and saw how there was already a sizable crowd in Junius’ small office. Inside sat Malenwen, Henrik and Saashi, all seemingly surprised to see Framir. Junius spoke up first ‘It’s good to see you back, Framir. We were just discussing the founder's statue, who did you bring with you?’

‘My name is Wanum, I will serve as her Majesty’s envoy to this town, you are Junius, the Elder, I take it?’

‘I am, yes’ Junius said with a short nod.

‘Then we will have much to discuss’ Wanum smiled slightly ‘Do not be alarmed, I come in friendship and comradery. Your friend here has helped the queen and myself out immensely, any debt the town would have still had after the fire is long forgiven. And her Majesty instructed me to personally apologise to everyone in this town for the unfortunate fire, it was neither her Majesty’s nor the government’s intention for it to start’

‘He speaks the truth’ Framir nodded ‘The Queen harbors no ill will towards us, and has been trying to help us but hasn’t been able to do so due to the undead hordes stalking her castle’

‘Indeed’ Wanum nodded before anyone could respond ‘But thus I have also come here as her majesty’s representative in your investigation of the founders statue and it’s possible link to the undead problem we are facing over at the keep’

Junius nodded ‘Well, sir Wanum’

‘Just Wanum is fine’

‘Well, Framir, Wanum, our town Loremaster Saashi was just telling us about what she discovered earlier today’ He nodded at Saashi who started explaining

‘As Saashi was explaining to Junius and the town protectors, Saashi had made much progress regarding the Ayleid crypt. First, Saashi learned who was buried in the tomb, an ancient Ayleid sorcerer-king who ruled over these lands back in the early first era. His successor went through great lengths to have him erased from historical records, and at first, Saashi could not even learn his name. It seemed though that he was a powerful necromancer, which might explain the undead activity and the wights we faced in the tomb’ she then waggled her tail out of excitement ‘But there is good news, Saashi managed to find the name of the Sorcerer King eventually in an off hand mention on an old inscription. His name was Celemaril Light-Bringer’

Framir grinned ‘That doesn’t sound so bad’

‘Saashi is not sure his people agreed with that. His own brother, Valentis, led a rebellion against him. He and the other Ayleid kings managed to stop the Sorcerer-King and bind him magically’ she nodded to herself ‘Saashi is fairly certain the statue destroyed by the Queen’s men was of Valentis.’ She took a deep breath ‘And Saashi believes this Valentis might be the key to learning what is going on’

‘So’ Henrik said as he crossed his arms ‘How will we learn more of Valentis?’

‘Saashi… is not sure. The kingdom that Valentis ruled was far from here, in the heartlands. Saashi suspects he might be buried somewhere around there, but Saashi needs to do some more asking and reading’

‘This is all… a lot to take in’ Wanum said ‘I think I speak for both myself and my friend here that we’ve had not too many hours of sleep, and that we would like to rest for now’

‘He’s right’ Framir chuckled ‘But great work, Saashi’

‘Well said’ Junius smiled ‘You did a tremendous job, child. And I think her Majesty’s envoy speaks for all of us when he says we might need to sleep on this information. It’s a lot to take in, and as long as there is no concrete location for the tomb of this… Valentis?’ Saashi nodded and he continued ‘Right, Valentis, we cannot do much more than wait until our dear loremaster has been able to locate it’ He stood up and motioned at Wanum ‘I will show you some empty quarters with space for an office here in the town hall, if that sounds agreeable to you’

‘It does, thank you very much’ Wanum bowed his head and before following Junius out he nodded at Framir ‘Thank you again for your help, I suspect we’ll be talking again soon. For now, have a good night’

‘Likewise’ Framir said with a polite smile.

Once Junius and Wanum had left, the four remaining occupants of the office left to grab some food to serve as dinner. Neither of them had eaten in the past few hours and Framir used the occasion to tell them of what happened in the past few days. They had been quite surprised at hearing the story, although heeding the queen’s words he strategically left out the part where he went to the keep all alone, inventing some brigade of town guards that had gone with him. After the story he quickly went to his bed, tired of the past few days and looking forward to a deep sleep. His last thoughts before falling asleep were of how he wanted to go and thank Lea for the potions she’d made him, and at that he fell into a deep, long sleep.


	4. In the Shadow of the Spire

### In the Shadow of the Spire

_Legionnaires were hastily making their way across the packed streets. Many were carrying chests, documents, weaponry and all sorts of other items meant to be shipped out. In the far distance he could hear the explosions of the Aldmeri mages attempting to get a hold of the Imperial city outskirts on the isle. The Dominion army was attempting a full scale surrounding of the city walls on the isle, something that so far seemed to be working as reports of more and more streets and fields in the outskirts falling were reaching the city center._

_Unlike the soldiers who seemed to all be moving to the northern part of the city, he was heading for the center. Just over ten years ago he’d marvelled at the massive and majestic White Gold Tower reflecting the sunlight, but now the tower looked bleak, almost grey in the light that was able to get through the dense cover of clouds that hung over the Cyrodiilic heartlands. The sounds of magical explosions surrounding the city frightened the citizens that had remained, those that had resisted or had not been picked for evacuation. As he made his way to the center he saw several citizens boarding up their homes, nailing planks to the classical windows that, in some cases, had survived for centuries._

_He frowned bitterly but continued making his way to the city center, with the Imperial City cut off from all magical communication due to Aldmeri interference, he had to go in person. At the temple nobody had volunteered to go in order to deliver the message, all too afraid to die in the upcoming slaughter. The city would fall, everyone knew it, so he went himself as he was the one who’d compiled the report in the first place. The grandmaster didn’t need to order him, or any of the others, as he’d ended up volunteering himself. The Penitus Oculatus officers guarding the entrance to the Green Emperor way appeared calm, too calm for men in their situation. After seeing his amulet they silently let him pass into the city center. The center was also riddled with soldiers carrying weaponry and chests to the northern parts. The center, which had been so beautiful with plants, flowers and properly cleaned streets just a few weeks ago now looked cold and desolate. Ever since the evacuation of the citizens and the begin of the Aldmeri advance on the city the many exotic plants and flowers hadn’t been tended to and the streets had not been cleaned, leaving an almost surreal sight._

_He made his way to the palace entrance where he was searched by two Penitus Oculatus agents, they were just as calm as the ones he’d met at the gates to the center. Framir thought about how during the Septim days it had been his organisation, the Blades, who had protected the emperors. And yet, they had failed several times, emperors had died on their watch. This organisation, for all it’s secrecy, seemed to have done it’s job. Created by the first Mede emperor, Titus Mede the first, they were a secretive and powerful organisation that had so far not allowed a single emperor to be assassinated, murdered or even wounded. Their combat prowess might not have been on an equal level to that of the blades, but their methods seemed to work and their high degree of professionalism had earned the respect of the citizenry as well._

_When he’d been released from the searching he made his way into the palace. Inside there was all sort of military and civilian personnel trying to ship documents and other important artifacts out. Just like in the city he walked in the opposite way, towards where he knew the throne room was. He climbed several levels of the ancient palace until he stood in front of a large metal door, inlaid with an imperial dragon pattern. In front of it stood two Penitus Oculatus agents, they were as calm as the others when they inquired about the purpose of his visit. After he’d explained his purpose the doors to the throne room were opened._

_The room itself was a large circular room with doors all around the walls and imperial banners draped between them. Penitus Ocularus agens stood watch at the doors, safeguarding the room from intruders. In the middle of the room there was a small pedestal on top of which stood a regal golden throne. Next to it stood a man with long grey hair and a short beard in his late fifties. He wore a regal robe embellished with golden accents and the imperial dragon on the front. The emperor was talking to two figures in imperial general’s armor. Framir noticed that one of them had a familiar face, general Belona Marilaud, the stern breton general. When the emperor and his generals noticed Framir approach the generals quickly headed off to the entrance, leaving Framir alone with the emperor._

_‘Ah, Raven, welcome’ The emperor held up his hand, indicating Framir to break off his bow ‘Skip the pleasantries, what is the purpose of your visit?’_

_‘Your Majesty, I’ve come to let you know that our agents in Dominion territory have been able to confirm that they have indeed gambled most all their resources to the capture of the Imperial city.’ He handed the emperor a scroll ‘I have compiled a full report on the situation in the south from whatever intel our remaining spies have been able to gather’_

_‘Thank you, agent, I am receiving similar reports from the Penitus Oculatus’ The emperor sighed and sat down on his throne ‘I will study these documents as soon as our force has moved out of here’_

_‘If I may be so bold to ask, your Majesty’ The emperor nodded ‘Are you planning on abandoning the city?’_

_‘Yes’ The emperor sighed and looked at the floor, supporting his head with his hands. He looked old, and tired more than anything else ‘I should have ordered the military evacuation weeks ago, but I was stubborn. Now, even more men will die covering our retreat, the eighth legion will likely fully perish.’ The emperor nodded to himself and then looked at Framir ‘That is on me, you can tell your grandmaster that. I have no time to write a full report in the current climate’ the emperor chuckled hollowly ‘He’ll likely say something along the lines of me and my ancestors being unworthy as always, but tell him I do not plan to abandon this city until all the soldiers and citizens scheduled for evacuation have been led out of the city. I will lead the charge on the outbreak myself if it has to come to that, that’s what you can tell him’ the emperor then looked up with a determined expression ‘I have no intention of dying here, but tell your grandmaster my son and his wife are safely in Chorrol, ready to take over command if I were to perish’_

_‘Anything else I should communicate to the grandmaster, your majesty?’_

_‘Nothing for the moment, he knows the military situation and now he will know my intentions. Further discussions on details will follow once me and my men are out of the city, or my son is forced to take over’ the emperor then stood up ‘You should go, from what general Hyrilus is telling me the Aldmeri surrounding will be completed in a matter of hours. Get out of the city while you can, and relay my message to your grandmaster’_

_‘I will, your Majesty’_

_‘Good’ The emperor once more sat down ‘Talos be with you, Raven’_

_Framir then turned back towards the entrance of the throne room, the doors were opened for him and he quickly made way for the lower levels. As he was walking down the tower he was trying to make himself a path throughout the endless rows of personnel trying to evacuate the tower best they could. Before he could reach the exit however he heard a soft voice behind him ‘Framir!’_

_He looked but saw no figure calling out to him._

_Then once more ‘Framir!’_

The second call caused him to wake up. When he opened his eyes he saw everything around him was dark, but he saw a figure shake his shoulder ‘Framir, wake up’

It was the voice of Malenwen, he rubbed his eyes and sat up right ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I… no, we, need to talk’

‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ he sat up carefully, trying not to wake anyone else in the hall with his movements and trying to whisper softly ‘Can’t this wait until tomorrow?’

‘No, sorry’ She sighed ‘Are you okay with going outside?’

‘I guess’ He carefully picked up his tunic and put it on over his sleepwear ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah’ He saw her silhouette nod and motion for him to follow her. Once he’d put on some warmer clothes he carefully went after her. As he passed the doors to the building he felt the early summer night breeze on his face, it wasn’t particularly cold, but the breeze in combination with the dark and Malenwen’s strange demeanor made him feel uncomfortable. He saw her standing by the boulders they usually had breakfast at, as he approached her she turned around ‘Thanks for coming, I… I’m sorry for dragging you out like this but I had to’

‘Hey, don’t worry about it. Is everything okay?’

‘I suppose so’ She sat down on the boulder and looked at him, her face half illuminated by the light of the torches ‘All is well with me, but I am worried about you’

He was silent for a bit and sat down next to her ‘Why is that?’

‘Why?’ She chuckled ‘Why do you think? I hear from the people of your sleeping hall that you have nightmares nearly every night, sometimes screaming in your sleep. Before I woke you up ten minutes ago you looked like you were also having a nightmare’ she sighed and stared at the fire of the torch ‘Every time anyone asks you what you’ve done before you came here you seem to dodge the question, I asked Lea and she told me you also dodged the question with her and she’s worried too.’ she bit her lower lip slightly in frustration ‘And when we were sparring, you suddenly stopped moving, it was like you froze with fear. Please, tell me what’s wrong, or tell her what’s wrong, we’re worried about you, you know?’

Framir slightly chuckled but then frowned ‘You woke me up for this?’

‘Yes’ She said resolutely ‘I walked past your sleeping hall as I was assisting the night watch and I could hear you all the way from outside’

‘I sleep next to the door so tha-’

She silenced him with a frowning look ‘If you don’t want to tell any of us what’s wrong then that’s fine, but tell us that instead of dodging questions’

‘You’re right’ He averted his gaze and looked at one of the town walls ‘I often dream of what happened during the war, back then I was in some… unpleasant… situations. Many of the friends I’ve made are now dead, some I’ve seen dying in front of my eyes, and I couldn’t help them’ he rubbed his eyes and sighed, thinking of how he could formulate the upcoming lie as convincingly as possible ‘I’ve tried to forget about it all by travelling around after the war, do mercenary work, but I didn’t forget about it. And so my final option was to return here, return to a place where I could settle down in a peaceful life. Perhaps reconnect with some old friends’ he smiled ‘Which I could fortunately do, seeing as you and Henrik are still around’

‘I see’ Malenwen seemed a bit unconvinced ‘Is there any way to remedy the nightmares?’

‘I have no idea’ Framir chuckled ‘I once spoke to a cultist of Vaermina who told me that his lady will one day wipe my memories of all that happened by stealing them from my nightmares, but so far that hasn’t worked out all too well’

‘Maybe talking about it will help?’

‘I… I’d rather not’ He sadly smiled ‘I appreciate that you’re willing to help but… I need to deal with this by myself. And once we’re able to move out of the communal sleeping quarters and the town has been fully rebuilt, I am sure things will take a turn for the better’

‘I hope so’

They spent a few more minutes talking on the boulders, changing the subject to childhood memories, future prospects and everyday worries. He’d heeded the words of both Henrik and the Queen by not telling his friend the truth. He felt mixed about the decision, but both of them had been right when they said it would only put more people in danger.

The next few days Framir, Malenwen and Henrik continued assisting in the town’s rebuilding. They also found out that the presence of Wanum, being an envoy of the Queen was quite useful, as the Argonian warrior was able to order them several supplies with the Kingdom’s funds, allowing them to speed up production considerably as they no longer needed to salvage certain materials from the ruins. Progress was steady, and the morale in town had gotten exponentially better for it. By the end of the week, nearly all of the town’s residents had gotten a private place to sleep. With many of the larger families now being assigned housings, the communal buildings at the town square were quickly refitted to have seperate rooms where the village’s smaller families and single or widowed residents could have their own space until actual housings would be completed for them. Framir had been happy with the change, his room was quite spacious, and since he didn’t bring many possessions to the town, the room was more than enough to suit his needs. As the village’s most dire housing problem was slowly being solved, people could also once more pick up their professions as the entire village was no longer needed for the construction work. Especially the carpenters and tailors had been happy to get back to work, as the village was in great need of new furniture and good quality garments for it’s residents. Framir, Malenwen and Henrik had also picked up the task of training several villagers in combat. There had been several undead sightings in the area around the town, making it so that the combat training they had given the villagers found practical use only a few days after the first couple of training sessions when some lumberjacks had been attacked by the creatures. Fortunately, due to their basic training they had been able to take the creatures out and none of them had contracted any serious wounds.

A little over a week after the night he and Malenwen had been talking, Framir was standing in his small room, looking into a small damaged mirror. The thing had blackened wood on it’s edges and serious smoke bleach on the mirror itself. It had been one of the few items that the clean up crew had been able to retrieve from the ruins of his parent’s house. The basement, which had been used to store their possessions in, had been hit by the fire and several crates with books and other documents had been completely lost. Most of the furniture and clothes had also not survived the fire. The only things that had survived the flames were the small mirror, a metal strongbox filled with some coins and an old necklace his mother had once possessed, an old chainmail and sword from his father’s legion days and an old toolset his father had used around the old house. He’d found good use for the sword and chainmail, as after some quick patching up by Lond they were very adequate replacements for his previous gear. He’d taken the strongbox and it’s contents to the room along with the mirror, and had ended up lending the tools to the town as all tools were very welcome in the rebuilding effort.

He studied his own face in the undamaged part of the mirror, just like he’d been advised he’d started to let his beard grow but felt mixed about the results so far. He sighed as he sat back down on his bed, which had been made only recently by the town carpenters. He was thinking about his plans for the day, he wanted to volunteer to help with more of the rebuilding effort as today it was Henrik’s turn to train some people for combat. He wanted to stand up to get his tunic, but before he initiated the action there was a knock on the door.

‘Yes?’

The person who had knocked didn’t wait for an “open” and simply opened the door.

‘Goood morning’ In the doorway stood a cheery looking Lea .

Framir quickly picked up his tunic and put it over his head ‘I don’t believe I gave you permission to enter yet’

‘Oh come on’ She laughed ‘Need I remind you that it was I, the great Lea Jeanne, who took care of you just a few weeks ago as you were paralyzed? I have seen everything’ She didn’t wait for a response as she quickly continued ‘Anywaay, I came here to ask whether you are up for joining me on another grand adventure’

‘Grand adventure?’

‘Yes, an epic quest to gather more ingredients’ She chuckled and then motioned towards the door with her head ‘I need some new mushrooms, and if possible some more lavender, but I have some of that left so that isn’t a priority’ she raised her brow in anticipation ‘So, will you join me?’

‘Sure thing’ He smiled ‘Doesn’t seem wise to let you go alone with those undead sightings around’

‘My thoughts exactly’ She winked ‘By the way, has Saashi made any progress on finding that tomb you and Malenwen told me about?’

‘Not that I know’ He shook his head as he picked up his backpack ‘She’s been hard at work trying to translate everything in the tomb under the town, but so far hasn’t made real progress it seems’

‘Ah, that’s a shame’ She opened the door as he flung his pack over his shoulder ‘Have you eaten yet?’

‘No, I haven’t’ He yawned ‘To be honest with you, I just woke up’

‘Is it just me, or are you a tad bit lazy for a soldier?’ She stuck out her tongue and then quickly headed out towards the square. The two of them quickly went towards the village’s storehouse where they got Framir some breakfast and stocked up for supplies for the upcoming day.

Just as they were about to head towards the gate they noticed Malenwen emerging from one of the buildings. She smiled as she saw them and approached ‘Hey, are you two heading out?’

‘Yeah, Lea asked me for help with gathering ingredients again’

‘Aah, I see’ she yawned ‘Good luck you two, and be careful, I’ll be protecting the lumberjacks today. I don’t expect any issues, but you never know as of late’

‘Indeed, which is why I asked this guy to come along’ Lea smiled and pointed at Framir ‘But I’m worried be might be a biiiit lazy’

‘I fear you may be addressing the wrong person here Lea’ Framir laughed ‘I don’t know if you noticed, but I believe dear Malenwen here has also just emerged from bed’

‘Hey, speak for yourself’ Malenwen held up her hands ‘I’ve been awake for almost an hour now’

After having a short conversation with Malenwen on their plans for the day Lea and Framir headed out into the surrounding area. They spent most of the day gathering ingredients for Lea’s concoctions. It was quite pleasant work, especially with Lea to keep him company. Over the course of the day they had to deal with several undead, something which worried Framir greatly. They were easy enough to deal with, but their increased presence was a bad sign. By the end of the day they sat down on a small fence on the edge of a field, enjoying some small snacks Lea had brought.

‘You know’ Lea said with her mouth full of long taffy treat ‘Iiiii am quite happy you are here’

‘Yes me too’ he stuck out his tongue ‘I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have been able to handle those skeletons in the clearing by yourself’

‘Not what I meant, nitwit’ She gave him a nudge with her elbow ‘I meant I’m glad you’re around, you know, here in town’ she motioned her hands around in an exaggerated gesture and then sighed ‘I don’t exactly have a lot of people left in town, my friends died in the fire, my neighbors on the right died as well, my neighbors on the left moved away to their family in Cheydinhal’ she crossed her legs and stared at the horizon ‘Practically the only people I had left after the fire were Henrik and Malenwen, and I don’t even know them that well, they were just my most loyal customers for potions’

‘Then why did you stay? If there was no one left’

‘Well’ she chuckled ‘You, I was the only one with the knowledge on how to heal you’ she yawned and then chuckled again ‘And I couldn't just leave the town without it’s only competent healer’

‘The only competent healer?’ He laughed ‘You have a very prestigious title then’

‘Oh shut it’ she rolled her eyes and laughed ‘You are able to sit here thanks to me, don’t forget it’

‘Alright, I’ll let you have that one’

‘Good’ she wore a satisfied smirk on her face as she reached for another snack ‘You can be the worst sometimes, you know that?’

‘Didn’t you just say you were glad I’m here?’

‘Can I take it back?’

‘No, no takebacks’

‘Jackass’ She laughed and passed him a sweetroll ‘I really shouldn’t feed your ego, should I?’

‘No no, keep them going’ He laughed as she pushed him off the fence, falling into the grass.

‘That should keep you down for now’ She stood up and reached out to help him up ‘Let’s head back to town, they should start on the evening meals soon’

‘Good call’ He pat the grass off the back of his tunic ‘Do you have everything you need?’

‘Yes’ She nodded and both of them then quickly headed back towards the town. When they entered the town’s center they were approached by Malenwen.

‘There you are, Framir, come quick’

‘What’s going on?’

‘Saashi has found out some new information but she refuses to tell us anything until you’re back’ she rolled her eyes ‘She keeps saying she doesn’t like repeating herself, so come with me, we’ve all been dying to know’

Framir looked at Lea who chuckled and waved him away ‘Go, I’ll bring the ingredients to the infirmary, but join me later for dinner, will you?’

After agreeing he followed Malenwen to the town hall, on their way they were joined by Henrik and Wanum who had been sparring in the far end of the square. It turned out Wanum was an experienced warrior who was quite proficient with a spear, using it as a staff of sorts, blocking Henrik’s strikes with the point and both ends of the spear’s shaft. Both warriors were tired when they joined them at the town hall, but went silent when they entered Junius’ office. Saashi was already sitting in the office with Junius, looking over a stack of papers.

‘Ah, everyone is here’ Saashi looked up with an excited expression, baring her fangs in an eager smile ‘Please, sit’

They all sat down in the small office and Junius folded his hands as Saashi stood up ‘This one has a couple of hypothesis’ on the location of Valentis’ tomb’ she pointed at one of the documents on the pile, which was a map of Cyrodiil and the bordering regions ‘The kingdom which Valentis ruled over lay in the heartland, somewhere here’ she pointed at the region around the Imperial city ‘This one suspects his tomb can either be found in the ruins of Narfinsel’ she pointed at a spot west of the Imperial City ‘It is also possibly in here, in Lindai’ she pointed at a place north of Narfinsel ‘Or here, in the ruins of Nagastani’ she pointed at an area east of the city ‘These three areas have the highest possibility of containing Valentis’ tomb as these were both part of kingdoms he held sovereignty over’ she then frowned ‘It is also possible he has been buried under the ancient Ayleid Temple of the Ancestors’

‘Which is located where?’ Henrik crossed his arms ‘And how will we find out which it is?’

‘Well’ Saashi pointed at the center of the map, at the Imperial City ‘The temple of the ancestors still exists, today it is known as the White Gold Tower’

‘Well, shit’ Malenwen sighed ‘How in Oblivion are we supposed to get in there?’

‘Saashi wasn’t done talking’ Saashi crossed her arms ‘The temple of the ancestors is unlikely to contain Valentis’ tomb. The tombs under the Imperial Palace have been thoroughly explored by the scholars of the past, but there is still a slight possibility it might be there’ she pointed at the map again ‘Saashi has no other way to find out which of the ruins contain the tomb without going there’ she looked at them as they watched her in silence ‘Saashi is done now’

The silence continued for a few more seconds, after which Henrik spoke up ‘I.. I think I speak for all of us when I say we do not have the manpower to go there’ he sighed ‘Getting to all the ruins will take weeks at least’ he looked at Framir and Malenwen ‘Both of you have been in the ruins of the Ayleid cities, right? You know how large these ruins can be, and how hard it would be to find a single old tomb in there’ he put his hands down in his lap ‘It could take months and each expedition into those ruins would need protection, supplies. I don’t see how we could ever hope to cover so much ground’

‘The old man is right’ Malenwen nodded ‘We can’t cover that much ground, and even if we were able to hire mercenaries, which we can’t, we still only have one scholar who remotely understands all this’

‘You two are right’ Junius nodded and looked at Saashi ‘What do you reccomend, dear?’

‘Well… this one doesn’t know, this one just did the research’

‘If I may’ The Argonian Wanum raised his voice ‘As the queen’s mouthpiece here in this conversation I have to tell you that the kingdom does not have the funds to fund such an expedition’

‘But what if the survival of the kingdom depends on it?’ Henrik frowned ‘Undead have become more common around here, sure, they are weak here. But becoming more frequent, and stronger bit by bit. Not only here, but around almost all of the kingdom. Especially your queen’s keep’ he pointed at Saashi ‘We are quite sure the undead problem and our town fire are connected, correct?’

‘Yes’ Saashi nodded ‘This one is quite sure’

Henrik nodded and looked at Wanum ‘What would the queen say to that?’

‘I am not sure’ Wanum frowned ‘I will ask the queen myself, the queen generally does not care for the imperial government, but strange times can call for drastic measures. She might want to reach out to the emperor for help’ he nodded ‘I will ride out at first light to ask the queen for her orders’

‘That is a good idea’ Junius nodded and then looked at the three warriors sitting in front of his desk ‘We cannot leave the town too vulnerable, without it’s protectors. So we will need help, I cannot in good conscience have all of you leave the town’

‘I agree’ Henrik nodded ‘But let’s not weigh options before the table is set’ he nodded at Wanum ‘Let’s see what our gracious queen has for us, yes?’

The next two days were filled with tension as they awaited the queen’s answer. Framir helped out further with the rebuilding effort during the day, awaiting the return of Wanum. On the eve of the second day he was having dinner with Henrik and Lea when they saw Wanum enter the town’s center on horseback. The Argonian warrior seemed tired and as he got off his horse he approached the three figures having dinner ‘Got some of that for me? I’m starving’

Framir threw him half a bread ‘What’s the news?’

‘You and me’ The Argonian nodded at Framir as he took a bite of the bread ‘You, me and that scholar. We’ll be riding for the Imperial City tomorrow, queen’s orders’

‘I’m sorry, what?’ Framir frowned ‘Tha-’

‘Queen’s orders’ Wanum sat down ‘You should go to sleep as soon as you can, we’ll be riding out at first light’ he ate another piece of bread as he pointed towards the town hall ‘I’ll brief Junius and the scholar in a minute’

‘Slow down’ Henrik said ‘What exactly does the queen want you three to do?’

Wanum sighed ‘The queen has gotten reports of the undead problems spreading into both county Leyawiin and the Blackwood. She sees the gravity of the situation, and speculates it might soon draw the emperor’s attention’ he took a piece of bread Lea handed him ‘She wants us to share whatever information we have with his Majesty, the imperial government will have the resources to properly help us with our investigation’

‘Can’t Malenwen or Henrik go?’ Framir frowned ‘I came here to get away from life in the empi-’

‘No’ Wanum shook his head ‘Her Majesty specifically mentioned you’ he raised his scaly brow ‘Her exact words were “The emperor might actually listen to you if he is with you”’

‘I see’ Framir nodded with a deep frown ‘Fine’

‘Good’ Wanum stood up ‘Make sure to get sleep, we’re on orders and we shouldn’t fritter away time. I will brief Junius and the scholar, good night’ at that he quickly walked away, leaving the three of them in silence.

Henrik looked at Framir ‘Are you going?’

‘Do I have a choice?’

‘Doesn’t seem so’ Henrik took out his pipe ‘Do you think it’s safe to go?’

‘Why wouldn’t it be?’ Lea asked quickly.

‘Well, with the undead about’ Henrik quickly said ‘I imagine you might be gone for some time’

‘Yeah’ Framir bit his lower lip ‘I think I will be fine’ he nodded at Henrik ‘Don’t worry about it’

‘Good’ the old man stood up ‘I reckon this means Malenwen and I will stay here, so I’d better go and tell her’

Henrik stood up, leaving Framir with Lea. She crossed her arms ‘So, you’re leaving tomorrow?’

‘Apparently’ He chuckled ‘Can’t say I’m looking forward to it’

‘I get that’ She frowned ‘I’ll be sure to make some potions for you tonight, I’ll bring them around tomorrow morning’

‘You don't have to, I wouldn’t want to burden you’

‘I know, but I want to’ she smiled and stood up ‘I’d better get to it if I am to finish in the morning’ she pat him on the shoulder ‘Get some rest, big guy’

He followed her advice and made his way to his quarters. The evening was quite chilly and he was quite glad to be back inside. He quickly put his clothes in a pack and decided to head out one more time to bring his sword and chainmail to Lond for some last minute sharpening and repairs. The blacksmith had just been finished with his work for the day, but was willing to take his equipment and implement the improvements. As Framir was waiting outside of the smithy he saw Wanum coming out of the town hall. When the Argonian warrior noticed him he approached Framir ‘I have informed the scholar Saashi of our imminent departure, she will be ready early in the morning’

‘Alright, I am almost ready as well. I have brought my equipment here for some last minute repairs’

‘Good’ Wanum nodded and stepped closer to him, lowering his voice ‘Her Majesty told me of your… situation… she believes it might be an advantage in this situation, as the emperor generally doesn’t even bat an eye to our qualms’ he crossed his arms ‘While I am not one to go against her Majesty’s orders, I have to ask you, is she right? Because if she isn’t, you might as well walk right into Alinor itself’

Framir was silent and then nodded ‘She may be right’ he crossed his arms ‘How much did she tell you?’

‘Enough to know that we’ll likely be putting your life on the line for sake of the kingdom’ The Argonian sat down on a large rock ‘The emperor hasn’t bothered himself with answering our calls for the past years, and I can’t blame him with all that has happened in the last decade. The queen suggested your presence might change that’

‘It may’ He nodded ‘But we’ll need to make a small detour if you want me to be able to get to the emperor’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Several months ago, before coming here, I hid away several of my possessions in the Colovian highlands. One of the objects I hid away might give us access to the emperor, but what I am personally wondering is how the queen would know of this’

‘Does it matter? We have orders, and a task to complete’

‘It does’

‘The queen told me she has done some research into someone nicknamed the Raven, and that she has grounds to suspect that this person would be able to get us access to the emperor’ He crossed his arms ‘I wouldn’t know why you, Dayne Pure-Wish, would know anything of it. But I am simply under orders’

‘I see’ He sighed ‘I’ll see what I can do’

The next morning he woke up a little before the first rays of sunlight would show themselves on the horizon. He strapped his sword around his waist and threw his pack containing his clothes and chainmail over his shoulders. He quickly headed out and made his way to Lea’s quarters. The outside air was still chilly and there weren’t many villagers walking around the town center yet as most of the town was still lost in a nightly slumber. When he arrived at Lea’s quarters he heard movement inside and carefully knocked on the door. The door was opened in a few seconds by a very tired looking Lea ‘Good morning’

‘Morning’ She yawned ‘I have your potions right here, give me a second’ she fetched a protective leather pouch and put several labelled vials in it and then handed it to him ‘Here you go, pretty standard stuff. Couple of health potions, stamina potions, strength potions and a frenzy poison, be careful with that stuff’ she yawned again ‘I even made you two invisibility potions with the ingredients I had left, they are hard to make, so be careful with them’ she winked and then pointed at the pouch ‘I labelled all of the vials, I reckon you know how to use them, right?’

‘Yes, I do, thank you so much’

‘Good’ She smiled as he put the leather pouch in his pack ‘So I reckon you’ll be away for a while?’

‘Yeah I think so’

‘Confident you will make it back home unharmed?’

‘Well..’ He sighed ‘I hope so’

‘Don’t worry too much’ She took a step closer and hugged him ‘You’ll be fine’ after the hug she took a step back and studied his face ‘With that beard you look almost unrecognisable from when you first arrived here, so long as you are careful I’m sure nobody will recognise you’ she winked and glanced at his sword ‘and don’t show off too much’

‘What exactly are you insinuating?’ He said with a frown.

‘By the gods, for someone as skilled as you, you can be quite dull’ She laughed ‘I told you, I served as a medic during the war, I saw a looot of soldiers fight. But only a very rare few fought in the way you do, coincidentally most of those warriors are dead right now, hunted down by the enemy’ she crossed her arms and sighed ‘When I saw the reaction you and Henrik had to the idea of you having to go to the empire’s center it confirmed my suspicions’

‘I see…’

‘Don’t worry though, your secret is safe with me’ she pat him on the arm ‘Why do you think I included those invisibility potions, oh noble warrior’ she sighed again and sat down on the chair next to her alchemy table ‘Just, be careful okay? I’ve grown quite fond of having you around and I’d like to see you again’

‘Heh’ He chuckled ‘I see you figured me all out’ he held his hands up in the air and reverted to a more serious tone ‘I.. I appreciate your concern… But I’ve been able to stay out of their reach for the past five years, I’ve always been careful.’ he scratched the back of his head with a bit of an awkward expression ‘That said, you’re the second person who has found out through seeing me fight, so I’ll try to change some of my moves’

‘Seems like a good idea’ She nodded ‘If I may ask… who else knows?’

‘Henrik’ Framir rubbed his eyes ‘And the Queen, she found out the same way you did and she gave me a name to use outside of the town, Dayne Pure-Wish. Wanum also knows, the queen told him, but he seems trustworthy’

‘Malenwen?’

‘No’ He shook his head ‘Henrik knows because he confronted me about it, but I didn’t want to tell it to any one of you as the knowledge itself might put you in danger’

‘That seems wise’ She sighed and then smiled ‘Don’t worry, as I said, your secret is safe with me, I’ll take it to the grave. And if anyone asks about it, I know nothing’

‘Thanks’ He sighed and smiled ‘Part of me is happy you found out, but the other pa-’

‘Hush’ Lea smiled ‘There’s nothing to be done about it anymore, you just focus on the journey ahead, big guy’ she looked out of the window ‘The sun will be up soon’

‘I know, I think Wanum and Saashi are probably waiting for me’

‘Well, don’t keep them waiting’ Lea stood up again and quickly hugged him again. When she backed up from the hug she remained close and gave him a quick kiss, slightly startling him ‘For good luck’ She winked and softly pat him on the cheek ‘Now go! Don’t leave your companions waiting!’

‘I.. I won’t’ He smiled ‘I’ll try to be back soon’

‘I’ll hold you to that’

A week later Framir, Wanum and Saashi were riding on a small path between Skingrad and Chorrol. It was in this area where Framir had hidden some of his belongings before starting his journey to Rivercrest and the Bloodfall kingdom. The past few days had been mostly pleasant as they calmly travelled along the countryside, stopping only at small village taverns, avoiding the larger cities. On the third and fourth day they had been riding through the rain, causing Saashi to complain about wet fur for hours. Other than that small bump the journey had been calm and amiable. They were riding through the hills now, following the path for several more kilometers until reaching the point closest to Framir’s stash.

The stash was hidden in an abandoned cave which the locals called “Serpent Hollow”. When they reached the cave entrance Wanum and Saashi waited outside as Framir cast a weak magelight spell and headed into the moisty cavern. The cave was dark and as he moved deeper into the earth he started hearing the dripping of water in an underground lake. He knew he’d have to cross the underground lake to reach the spot he’d hidden his belongings so when he reached the edge of the underground lake he waded into the water and silently started swimming towards the other side. The cavern was fully dark, the only source of light being the small magical light ball hanging above him as he crossed the lake. When he reached the other lake edge he carefully listened, this cave was infamous for having a small but aggressive troll population and at this moment he didn’t quite feel like becoming troll food. As he carefully moved further through the cavern he kept listening but didn’t hear any traces of the trolls.

_“Must have moved further into the cave system”_

He kept moving and several minutes later he found what he has been looking for, a large rock roughly shaped like a triangle. He put his hands under the rock and lifted it up carefully. Underneath there was only cavern floor, quite the useful illusion. He used his right hand in a complicated gesture and mumbled an incantation, lifting the spell which sustained the illusion.

He brought the magelight closer, revealing a large curved katana laying on the ground with a shining set of traditional blades plate armor next to it. He sighed and then reached for the helmet, taking out a small pouch he’d hidden in the helmet. In it there were several trinkets which reminded him of the past, but the trinked he’d come for was a simple silver ring. Instead of a jewel the ring had a small ebony etching of a black wolf head on it, it had been one of the most valuable things he’d owned in his previous life. It was given to him by the emperor himself, just a few weeks before he, along with the others, was forced into exile. He hadn’t seen the emperor since, but he knew that showing it at the gates of the imperial palace would guarantee him an audience.

_“Alright, let’s get out of here”_

He carefully reactivated the illusion that protected his possessions and placed back the rock. He then went back towards the lake and quickly headed back to the entrance. The absence of the trolls slightly worried him, as he’d originally chosen this cave because the locals were too scared to head into the caverns. But for now he had other, more pressing, concerns.

When he came back to the surface he saw Wanum and Saashi sitting on a couple of large rocks, enjoying some bread. When they saw him approach Wanum laughed ‘I see you’ve had a bath, Dayne. Did you find what you were looking for?’

‘I did’ Framir nodded and also sat down holding up his hand with the wolf ring around his finger ‘With this, the guards at the entrance will take us seriously and lead us straight to the emperor’

‘Good’ Wanum nodded ‘Then let’s go’

‘Saashi wonders, where did friend get such a nice trinket’

‘It was given to me’ Framir shook his head and headed towards his horse, stroking her manes slightly ‘I’d rather not talk about it, let’s just get all of this over with’

‘I agree’ Wanum got on his horse ad the Argonian rode towards Framir ‘Are you sure about this? If you want I can take the ring and go in there myself’

‘No’ Framir shook his head ‘The emperor gives these symbols personally to specific individuals, I don’t know what he will do if it’s worn by a stranger’ they started riding towards the east, where they could see the Imperial City’s tall spire rising above the clouds in the Nibenay valley. They were silent for most of the journey, spending the nights either at their own camp or once more in small towns. Neither of them particularly wanted to talk as they rode down the wooded hills of Cyrodiil, all in anticipation of what would be waiting for them in the city.

In a few days they reached the town of Weye which lay at the entrance of the great bridge which crossed Lake Rumare, giving access to the imperial isle. The isle itself was full of countless houses, shops, workplaces, squares, markets and all sorts of other commercial buildings. Above it all rose the magnificent circular white walls of the inner city, with the large spire of the White Gold Tower rising above it all, creating a stunning vista. During their days of travel the clouds had dispersed, giving way to a bright blue sky which made the waters surrounding the imperial city glisten in the sun. It was quite the sight, and to any other onlooker it might have seemed like an image straight out of a happy fairytale. But Framir knew better, to those who knew where to look, the scars of the Great War were still plainly visible. Even five years later the imperial engineers were still repairing the massive damage the city had endured during the two battles that had raged in it’s streets. As they passed over the long bridge, which was full of traffic and small market stalls, he could clearly see how damaged guard towers had hastily been repaired with wood years ago, and as they came closer to the city he could see workers on the bridge towers trying to restore them to their former glory using stone.

Before heading into the city center they rented two rooms at a small inn in the outskirts west of the city center and dropped off most of their luggage. They had left their horses at the town of Weye as it’s stables were cheaper than those in the city, making them walk their way towards the city center after having a light meal at the inn. Sunset was nearing, but a city like the imperial city never slept, something which was reflected by the busy crowds walking to and from the market district in the center. The three of them made their way past the market district gates towards the grand spire which stood in the middle of the circular inner walls beyond which lay the government district, the Green Emperor Way.

As they walked down the busy streets covered in the shadows of the massive spire that was the White Gold Tower, Framir thought about how the city had fared just a few years ago, the last time he’d seen it the city had been wounded. The Imperial Army had retaken it but at a great price, the already damaged city had been besieged a second time during the battle of the red ring, which had devastated many of the ancient buildings. But now most of that damage had now been repaired by imperial mason workers on special order of the imperial government. To many first time visitors the city would have seemed immaculate, but just like on the bridge, a trained eye could see the scars of war everywhere if one knew where to look. These scars however, didn’t seem to bother the inhabitants of the vibrant city who went about their shopping business in the lively district. When they passed the gates to the green emperor way they came across several Penitus Oculatus patrols. The special agents in the service of the royal family didn’t pay much attention to them, as in times of peace visitors were free to wander around the city’s inner district. Visitors were also welcome to freely visit the entrance hall to the imperial palace, but only those with a valid purpose were allowed in the other sections of the ancient spire which held the imperial palace and many of the government’s ministries.

It took a while to get through the crowd in the entrance hall and reach the doors that gave way to the imperial palace. In front of it stood a whole squadron of Penitus Oculatus agents, standing watch and waiting for legitimate guests to the palace they could escort further up the tower. Next to the heavily guarded doors sat a Penitus Oculatus officer behind a small desk, a stack of papers and memo’s in front of him.

The three of them approached the officer, with Wanum in the front ‘Good evening, we are here to get an audience with his Majesty’

‘Yes, you and everyone else’ The officer said, not looking up from his papers ‘Only registered guests and government workers are allowed into the palace, if you have a legitimate reason t-’

‘We need to speak to the emperor as soon as possible’ Framir stepped forward and put his hand with the wolf ring on the desk. The officer wanted to look up in agitation but then noticed the ring. He then looked up with a neutral expression ‘How urgent is your message to his Majesty?’

‘Possibly quite urgent’ Wanum crossed his arms ‘We have a situation which could spiral out of control and for which we do not have the manpower to resolve it by ourselves’

‘I see’ The officer hustled some of the papers in front of him ‘His Majesty is currently on a visit to the kingdom of Daggerfall where he has urgent political matters. But his Highness the prince currently serves as his Majesty’s representative to the government’ the officer gestured towards one of the officers in front of the door, who quickly approached them ‘Please escort these guests to his Highness, they have an imperative message which has to be delivered to his Highness with utmost urgency’

‘Yes, luitenant’ The officer from the door gestured them to follow ‘Please, follow me’

The agent escorting them through the palace was silent as they climbed several floors using the circular staircases leading through the ancient palace. They passed several busy floors, full of government workers and other personnel. But as they rose through the palace there were less and less people walking around the halls. After having climbed over fifteen floors they stood in a silent corridor with several metal doors on the sides, all emblazoned with the imperial dragon and guarded by Penitus Oculatus officers. All they could hear in the corridor were their own footsteps and the sound of the torches burning on the walls

They stopped at a small metal door and the agent, who had so far been silent turned to them and whispered ‘Please wait here, I will head in and announce your presence’

The agent knocked on the door, when the door was opened the agent headed in, leaving them in the corridor. Framir noticed this floor also held the scars of war, carefully concealed with banners, plants and other objects. There were large cracks in the walls, replaced doors, bleached wood, all damage that had been done when the Aldmeri Armies had raided the ancient building after capturing the city. On their way up Framir had noticed several more of these damages done during the looting, while most damage on the public floors seemed to have been repaired, the private quarters of the royal family and ancient libraries were still clearly showing the leftovers of the devastation of the palace. Framir had been partially relieved to hear the emperor himself wouldn’t be present at the meeting, he’d never met the prince and thus the risk of his identity being uncovered was negated for now.

Before he could continue to ponder and look around, the agent who had guided them up the stairs of the palace emerged from the room beyond ‘His Highness is having dinner with his family, they are almost finished so he is inviting you to please join them in the room and explain your urgent predicament as they are finishing their meals.

Framir nodded and took a deep breath as he, Wanum and Saashi followed the agent into the room behind the door. The room resembled a simple dining room, decorated with several imperial banners and pots full of yellow and red flowers. A large brass chandelier lit the room and caused for a pleasant glow which made the entire room bathe in orange light. At the far end of the room was a small door, presumably leading to a kitchen as several servants were busy cleaning up a simple wooden table which stood in the middle of the room.

Three figures were sitting at the table, one a young imperial woman in a simple red velvet dress and short blonde hair which neatly fell on her shoulders. The other figure a lean imperial in his thirties, his dark hair tied back in a small lock on the back of his head, he wore a simple red velvet outfit matching that of his wife and was adorning a small gold ruby circlet on his head. The third person at the table was a young girl, a child of barely four years old dressed in a simple purple tunic, adorning the same blonde hair as her mother, her hair swept back in a small ponytail. She was sitting on the man’s lap and enjoying the remainders of a sweetroll, not minding the three people who had just entered the room.

Unlike the child on his lap the man did look up as the three people who just entered deeply bowed ‘Welcome, honored guests’ he looked at the agent who had guided them into the room ‘You can go, Farius’ the agent left, leaving them alone in the small dining hall ‘Well met, I am Prince Aemon Cephorus Mede, and this is my wife Aurelia’ He chuckled slightly as he looked down ‘And this little one is my daughter, Elena Vittoria’ he then looked back at them ‘My men tell me you bear the symbol of the wolf, only given to those my Father trusts most. In his absence I preside over the government and the city’ he frowned ‘Since those bearing the wolf usually do not bring good tidings, I have decided to see you as soon as I can, hence why you stand here in my dining hall’ He smiled at their bewildered faces ‘Please, take a seat and bring me whatever news you have’ he gestured towards the remaining seats at the table and the three of them carefully sat down. The prince then looked at them with a curious gaze as he carefully stroked the little girl’s hair ‘So, what news do you bring?’

At first they were a bit hesitant but Wanum, being the official envoy of the queen, spoke up first ‘Your Highness, we have come here with an urgent message and request by her Majesty the imperial vassal Urzoga gra-Batul. I am Wanum, her official envoy, we hail from the Bloodfall Kingdom, a small realm south of Leyawiin’ the prince nodded at Wanum to continue ‘Several weeks ago a small calamity took place in a town in the Kingdom, these two people hail from this town and can tell your Highness more about the exact details in due time. After this small calamity, strange things started happening in the kingdom. We have had a large increase of undead spawnings around the realm and frequent attacks by the creatures on her Majesty’s keep. These problems are slowly increasing in their magnitude and reach, as we have had reports of merchants saying the undead are starting to become a problem for our neighboring county Leyawiin as well. We do not know how much further this undead problem will spread, but if it continues at it’s current rate our scholar’ he motioned at Saashi ‘Believes the undead could stand at the gates of this very city within the year, that is, if the problem continues to develop as it has’ Wanum folded his hands ‘We have strong reason to believe the problem is tied to the calamity that took place in our kingdom, and our scholar has done a lot of research into possible ways to put an end to the problems’ he scraped his throat at the intense gaze of the prince ‘We might be on to a solution, but we neither have the funds nor the manpower to tackle this problem with the required resources’

‘I see’ The prince deeply frowned and then looked at his wife ‘Dear, can you take Elena back to our quarters?’

She nodded and took the little girl from her father and led her out of the room towards the door the three of them had entered through, leaving them alone with the prince.

‘It was wise of you to come here’ He folded his hands in careful consideration of his words ‘From what I can tell you are right, this might spiral into a serious problem, and thus it might be wise if action is taken early on’ he looked at Saashi and Framir ‘Did I understand correctly that you two can explain the situation in more detail? Before I take action I wish to gain a full understanding of the situation’

Framir looked at Saashi and nodded. The two of them quickly brought the prince up to speed with the fruits of Saashi’s research into the tomb beneath their town, the legend of the Light Bringer and their search for the tomb of his brother, where they hoped to find more clues to unraveling the mystery.

After they finished their explanation prince Aemon was silently frowning. It took almost three minutes before he started a carefully worded response ‘This is… a lot to take in..’ he looked at Saashi ‘Saashi, was it?’

‘Yes, your Highness’

‘Saashi, would you be willing to share your findings with members of the college of Whispers? They are the experts on most undead magical theory, and might be able to advance your research. In addition to that they already have excavations in progress for several of the locations you have listed as possible locations for the tomb of this Valentis’

‘Your Highness, Saashi finds it an honor to work with experts from the college’

‘Good’ The prince then looked at Wanum and Framir ‘Wanum and.. Dayne?’ Framir nodded at which the prince continued ‘You two have seen the undead up close, and have sat through their attacks. Would you recommend me to send a legion down south to serve as additional protection?’

‘Your Highness, if I may be blunt’ The prince nodded at Framir’s request ‘I think one legion will be insufficient. There are many small towns in the south that are ill protected, we are unaware of their current situation, but as the undead problem worsens the possible hazards endangering these hamlets also increase in their magnitude. Thus I would recommend more than a single legion to be sent down south, and perhaps also spread some troops through the heartland to prepare for an increase of undead attacks in more northern regions’

‘I see’ The prince frowned and sighed ‘That is quite a recommendation. I will see what I can do, and I will send a high priority message to my father to hear his opinion on the matter’ the prince then stood up and clapped in his hands twice, this caused two Penitus Oculatus agents to enter the room ‘Agent Farius, please take this scholar to arch mage Aerensa of the college. Tell him this scholar has important information that requires the college’s attention’ the prince then turned to the three of them ‘Where in the city are you staying?’

‘A small inn in the outskirts called “the silver platter”, your Highness’

‘Ah’ The prince turned towards the other agent ‘Please make sure all their luggage is moved to the palace guest rooms, these three will serve as my personal guests until our course of action is decided’

It took the Penitus Oculatus agents less than an hour to get all of their luggage up to the large guest room they were staying in. However, to call it a room really didn’t do it justice as it was the size of a small house with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small private corridor. The rooms were located two floors beneath the royal family’s quarters and were placed near the tower walls, making it so that one of the two bedrooms had a small window looking out over the city. Unlike the simple wooden table and chairs in the royal dining hall these rooms had ample luxury and it’s beds were the best Framir had ever laid on. Even during his tenure as a high ranking Blades agent and in his short time as Grandmaster of the Blades he’d never had the need to stay a night at the palace and had thus always declined the offer, but now very much regretted his decisions of the past. Wanum and Framir shared the large room which counted two beds and left the smaller room for Saashi. Both Wanum and Framir had been exhausted and had quickly gone to sleep after their arrival, causing both of them to miss Saashi’s return several hours after mid-night.

The next morning they were woken up by a knock on the door and the voice of a Penitus Oculatus agent ‘His Highness has invited you to make use of the kitchens for high level staff and guests on this floor, he requests to meet with you around noon in the throne room. The kitchens are behind the second door of the hallway to the left. For the remainder of the morning you will have unrestricted access to the communal spaces of this floor of the palace, an officer will come for you when it is time for your appointment with his Highness’

‘Thank you’ Wanum said sleepily and then turned his head to Framir’s bed, his vertical pupils still adjusting to the sunlight shining through the small window ‘I don’t know about you, but I am going to that kitchen as soon as possible. I can almost feel the emptiness of my stomach’

‘You and me both’ Framir wanted to quickly put on his tunic, but then saw there were simple clean clothes laying on his nightstand which hadn’t been there the night before. Wanum also had a set of clothes on his nightstand and picked them up ‘So who put these here and when did they observe me sleep?’

Framir laughed ‘Well, to be fair we were knocked out the moment we laid down on these beds, we could have slept through anything’

Both of them put on the clean set of clothes which almost exactly fitted the both of them. The clothes were simple, consisting of plain grey pants made out of linen and a faint blue tunic, with Wanum’s set being adjusted for the Argonian physique.

The moment both of them had dressed up and refreshed themselves in the bathroom they immediately headed out of their room towards the communal corridors. They were thinking of knocking on Saashi’s door but decided against it, considering the fact that the Penitus Oculatus hadn’t woken her up yet led them to believe she’d probably had a long night, which was true.

They spent a long time in the kitchens, making sure to eat as much as they needed. They wanted to wait for Saashi to join them, but before she emerged out of their chambers they were approached by a Penitus Oculatus agent who would take them to the throne room where the prince would be waiting for them.

This time they only went up one floor, the floor of the throneroom. They stopped in front of a large door with the imperial dragon symbol on it and the Penitus Oculatus officer silently went in, leaving them alone with the several guards that stood in the small atrium in front of the throne room. As they waited for their escort to return they heard the sound of approaching voices from the staircases. When they looked over they saw Saashi approach together with an old looking high elf man in light blue robes. The elf wore a blank expression as their penitus Oculatus escort briefed them on throne room etiquettes. Saashi seemed to be listening intently, but the elf remained stoic. The three figures joined them in waiting in front of the room. Wanum and Framir greeted Saashi, but before they could ask about her whereabouts last night the doors to the throne room were opened. Several men and women in Imperial officer’s uniforms came walking out. Framir bowed his head to remain unrecognisable as he recognised several of the high ranking generals leaving the room. He’d spoken to several of them during the war and couldn’t risk being recognised by any of them. Luckily none of the officers paid them any mind as the group quickly headed to the stairs.

The Penitus Oculatus officer that had guided Wanum and Framir upstairs then emerged from the throne room ‘His Highness is ready for you, please follow me inside’

They did as the agent said and followed him into the large circular throne room. Framir was already familiar with the room as he’d been in it several times during his past. He suppressed a smile when he saw the room was almost exactly as he’d remembered, a lot of doors on the walls complemented with large torches and imperial banners. The only things that differed from the last time he’d been in here was the person sitting on the simple wooden throne which stood on a small pedestal in the middle of the room.

Prince Aemon smiled when he saw them enter and stood up as they bowed ‘Welcome, I’m sorry for the delay but the consultations with my father’s generals took longer than I imagined it would take’ he chuckled and looked at the figure in Imperial General’s armor which stood next to the throne, a stern Breton woman in her early fifties. Her dark hair started to show several strands of grey and she had a long scar on her forehead which started just above her right eye and disappeared into her hairline. Framir knew her face all too well as he’d met her several times during the war ‘Allow me to introduce general Belona Marilaud’ the prince said with a smile ‘She is one of my father’s most competent generals and will lead the troops that will be sent down south to help with the defense against the undead problem’

‘Well met’ The general said with a short nod ‘I will be departing for the south soon, but I will need some information on the current state of events’

‘Exactly’ The prince nodded and pointed them to sit down at a large table in front of the throne ‘Our friend Wanum here is an official Envoy of queen Urzoga who rules the realm south of Leyawiin, he will be able to tell you more after the briefing’

The Argonian nodded ‘It would be my pleasure, general’

‘Good’ The prince nodded and looked at Saashi and the High Elf who had come with her ‘But first, what did you find out?’

Saashi looked at the high elf in anxiety but the elf did not pay a lot of attention to her ‘Your Highness, I am Telarendil, the leading scholar of Ayleid history at the college. Yesterday evening my team and Saashi have worked tirelessly to discern the possible location of the tomb of the ancient Ayleid King Valentis, as you requested’ he frowned slightly ‘We believe it likely that the tomb can be found somewhere in the ruins of the Ayleid city of Narfinsel, we have already sent out teams. Saashi and myself will be on our way to join them after this briefing’

‘That sounds good, but what does the college think, is this undead problem as severe as our honored guests claim? Will finding the tomb of this Valentis help us find a solution’

‘We are convinced on both accounts’ His gaze softened a bit as he looked at Saashi ‘My scholar colleague here did exemplary work. The calamity she describes that took place in the town is very similar to other Ayleid sealings, the Sorcerer King Celemaril which was sealed in there is likely connected to it all as his body was gone from the casket in their town’ Telarendil sighed ‘Considering the ancient Ayleids placed such a strong seal indicates they expected that whatever was in there would try to escape, and considering the immense amount of time that has passed since the sealing it is logical to assume that whatever escaped was undead. Thus my hypothesis is similar to that of my fellow Scholar here, the undead problem is very likely linked to the calamity at the town’ he stroked his chin ‘I cannot inform your Highness on how severe the undead problem will become, but considering the strength of whatever escaped I can imagine the problem has the potential to become much more severe’

‘So, what you are saying is, my men and I will be needed?’ The Breton general impatiently crossed her arms ‘If this is to be a severe problem my men and I have no time to lose if we are to fortify all the southern towns’

‘That would be an astute decision’ The high elf turned to the prince ‘I would indeed recommend an increase of security in the southern realms’

‘Good’ The prince nodded ‘My father has given me the permission to take whatever decision I deem necessary, so, general, please take Wanum and Dayne and head south as quick as you can’

The general nodded, but Framir, who’d held his head low and tried to sit within Wanum’s shadow in order not to stand out now lightly spoke up, trying to keep his head turned away from general Marilaud ‘Your Highness, if you and Wanum are okay with that, I’d rather go with Saashi to explore the ruin’

‘Oh? I see no problem with that’ The prince raised his brow and looked at Telarendil ‘What about you?’

‘Do you have any experience with excavations?’ The high elf asked ‘While I understand the sentiment of being with your friend, we can only make use of able bodies’

‘Yes’ Framir lied

‘Well, then please tag along as we can use all able bodies in the search for this tomb’ Telarendil sighed ‘Narfinsel is poorly documented, and especially the deeper tombs have not ever been part of any documented expeditions, so your help is most welcome’

‘That is decided then’ The prince smiled and looked at general Marilaud who was frowning ‘What is the problem, general?’

‘Nothing’ She shook her head ‘I have already sent out messages to my legates to gather the men at fort Nikel, I will be departing for the fort in five hours’ she looked at Wanum ‘Let’s talk strategy on our way there, assuming you are still going with me?’

‘I will’ Wanum nodded ‘I will also be ready in five hours’

‘Good’ The general turned to the prince ‘Your Highness, permission to get out of here and get myself ready?’

‘Of course, general’ The prince then looked at Framir, Saashi and Telarendil as the general walked out ‘Is there anything the three of you need before heading out to the ruins?’

‘No, your Highness’ Telarendil shook his head ‘We are all set’

‘Good’ The prince sighed and stood up ‘Allow me to wish all of you good luck, please keep me updated with all major developments’

After agreeing to that the four of them headed out of the throne room, walking into a group of nobles who were waiting in the small atrium in front of the throne room. As they walked down the stairs Saashi finally spoke up, she seemed nervous ‘The prince is a very busy man’

‘Indeed he is’ Telarendil nodded ‘I don’t envy him’ he looked at Framir ‘Dayne, was it?’

‘Yes, pleased to meet you’

‘Likewise’ The high elf carefully descended the stairs ‘Are you also a student of ancient history?’

‘Well’ Framir chuckled ‘You could say I recently became one’

‘Wonderful!’ The elf smiled slightly, forgoing his stoic expression ‘The past has so many great lessons to teach us’ when they reached the guest floor he quickly bid them farewell ‘I will meet you two by the bridge in three hours, we will then head for Narfinsel’

‘Alright, see you then’

They bid the elf farewell and once he was out of hearing range Wanum frowned ‘Eccentric fellow, didn’t even pay me any mind’

Saashi chuckled ‘Telarendil is… a curious person’ she seemed to relax a bit ‘He is very interested in history but not much else it seems’

As they entered their guest quarters to pack up their belongings Framir asked Saashi why she had seemed so nervous, after which she explained that Telarendil had been so impressed with her research that he had offered her a high ranking scholar position at the College of Whispers just before they had headed up to the throne room this morning ‘This one was so startled by the request that Saashi needed a little more time to process her thoughts, time that wasn’t given to her as we had to face the prince immediately after’

‘Do you think you are going to take him up on the offer?’

‘Perhaps’ Saashi nodded ‘It is a big opportunity for Saashi, but Saashi first wishes to help solve the current mystery’

They then each went into their rooms and started packing their belongings. Wanum and Framir were almost done when they heard a knock on the door ‘Come in’

The door was opened and general Marilaud stepped in, causing Framir to immediately face the door with his back ‘Ah, good to see you have almost finished packing’ she smiled at Wanum but then frowned ‘But I have a request for you, Wanum’

‘Oh, what can I do for you general?’

‘Can you please leave me with your friend for a few seconds, just the two of us?’

‘Wha-’

‘Please, I won’t bite him’

‘Well I am un-’

‘I can order you if I need to’

‘Okay’ Wanum sighed and pat Framir on his shoulder ‘Well Dayne, the general wishes to speak to you apparently’

The Argonian quickly walked out and general Marilaud closed the door behind her ‘So, you survived’

‘I’m sorry I don’t kno-’

‘Oh please, I’d recognise the voice of the man who told me off in front of the emperor anywhere’

‘Fine’ Framir sighed and turned around ‘What do you wish to talk about, general?’

‘Well’ the older woman smiled slightly ‘I just wanted to confirm my suspicions’ she quickly approached him and hugged him bruskly ‘I’m so happy to see you are still alive’

‘Likewise’ Framir also smiled ‘Have you told anyone?’

‘Of course not’ The general shook her head ‘But I am wondering whether you have a death wish or something, there are more than enough enemy spies in here’

‘I didn’t have much of a choice’ Framir sat down on his bed ‘Considering the circumstances we needed access to the emperor, or in this case the prince’ he held up his ring ‘My ring could give us that access’

‘I see, why aren’t you coming with me, back to the south? This expedition seems risky if you’re hiding’

‘Because I didn’t know you had recognised me, if I had known I wouldn't have volunteered’

‘You think too little of me’ she smiled ‘It’s good to see you though, how many survived?’

‘I don’t know’ He sighed ‘I helped many to safety, but at least as many of my group died… we regrouped with some others but many of us immediately got off the grid, tried to disappear. I don’t know where most of them are, which is probably for the best’

‘Yeah, I agree’ She crossed her arms ‘What would you have done if it had been the emperor himself? Or has the prince recognised you?’

‘He hasn’t’ Framir shook his head ‘And I don’t know, you think he would have recognised me?’

‘Definitely’ the general chuckled ‘Only a few weeks ago he talked to me about you, he was wondering whether you survived or not’

‘Well, the Raven is dead, officially’ He yawned ‘The name’s Dayne’

‘I see, well, I’m sad over the passing of my friend, but I’m glad to have met Dayne’ The general returned to her stern expression and shook his hand ‘Stay safe, and keep yourself out of the enemy’s hands’

‘I will, thank you Belona’


	5. Shadows of the Past

### Shadows of the Past

_He was looking out over the balustrades of Anvil’s high walls. The armor he was wearing was itchy and a bit too tight around the shoulders. Yet he didn’t have any other options, he’d have to make due with whatever armor the legate could spare for him and his men._

_Several days ago his grandmaster had ordered him and several agents under his command to help the emperor’s Penitus Oculatus agents with infiltrating the Imperial legion troops tasked with defending the city of Anvil. Several weeks ago the city had been cut off from the rest of Cyrodiil when the Aldmeri armies invaded the Empire in a large scale offensive. The biggest impact had been felt by the southern territories as the storm of Aldmeri troops had raged through the south, capturing the city of Leyawiin in a matter of days and cutting Bravil off from any and all land based reinforcements. The Niben’s western banks had been taken and the Aldmeri armies in the south were now fighting to get to the shores of lake rumare._

_In the west of Cyrodiil a large Aldmeri army had crossed the gap between Anvil and Kvatch to establish a land based supply line between Valenwood and Hammerfell, cutting off Anvil from any reinforcements over land._

_The grandmaster of his order had decided to aid the empire in this hour of need and had thus rallied all available agents to help out in the war effort. Framir had been selected to infiltrate the Imperial army together with the Penitus Oculatus in order to rat out any possible Aldmeri spies among the ranks. So far it had seemed the Aldmeri army knew exactly where the empire would strike, and had been able to counter any and all infiltration actions swiftly. This made the emperor and his grandmaster conclude that both the army and the command sector had been thoroughly compromised, and thus the Penitus Oculatus and the Blades had both been committed to counter espionage._

_He sighed as he looked towards the east, towards fort Strand. The fort which was faintly visible on the eastern horizon had been taken by the Aldmeri armies and was an important link in their supply lines. Retaking it with the garrison hadn’t been an option, both Kvatch and Anvil had barely enough men to make a stand on their own walls, and any possible reinforcements were busy trying to keep the Aldmeri armies away from lake Rumare. He sighed once more as he squinted his eyes, trying to make out the fort._

_‘Are you done?’ A female voice asked impatiently._

_‘Almost’ He replied ‘I’m thinking’_

_‘About?’_

_‘The war’_

_‘Yeah. you and everyone else’ The figure belonging to the Penitus Oculatus commander he’d been partnered up with joined him at the balustrade. ‘The best we can do is just do what we are supposed to, if we can rat out the spies we have the best chance at maybe turning the tide’_

_‘Let’s hope so’ He turned towards his partner, Roselia Artus, a commander in her early thirties ‘Have your men finished their survey of the wall brigade?’_

_‘They have’ She nodded ‘Once again, nothing, no secret letters, no devices for magical communication, nothing’_

_‘They’re really making it hard on us, aren’t they?’_

_‘I never really expected it to be easy’ She chuckled as she joined him in looking at fort Strand ‘I wish we could take it back’_

_He wanted to answer, but before he could he felt a hand on his left shoulder. The touch startled him and he turned around, looking in the face of Malenwen ‘Hey there, captain, we finished our survey of the legates’_

_‘Good, did you find anything?’_

_‘Unfortunately we didn’t bu-’_

_Before she could finish her sentence an explosion erupted in front of the walls, setting the scenery around them on fire. He took Malenwen’s arm and started running towards the tower which would give them access to the streets below. The flames engulfed everything around them as he ran towards the door of the tower._

_He opened it and ran into the tower interior which was burning all around, he stood in a long hallway filled with smoke. In the distance in front of him he could make out a Thalmor operative running away. He quickly ran after the agent in pursuit, drawing his sword with his right hand and keeping his left in front of his nose and mouth to protect himself against the fumes of the fire around him. The ages old paint on the walls of Cloud Ruler Temple was burning, creating toxic fumes that had the potential of making him suffocate. After almost a minute of running through the ages old burning building he caught up with the Thalmor agent who was trying to catch his breath as he was chocking on the toxic fumes._

_Framir drove his sword through the operative’s back and then quickly turned around to block a strike by an Aldmeri soldier in golden moonstone armor. He was fighting side by side with the Imperial soldiers which were trying to fight their way to the Green Emperor Way where Lord Naarifin would be waiting._

_‘Raven! We’re heading in!’_

_  
Framir turned to his left after finishing off the Aldmeri soldier that had been attacking him. He saw his brother in arms Tyr, the Argonian Swims-at-Night and his new friend Endon follow the sorceress Laaneth into a breach of the inner walls._

_‘Go!’ He yelled ‘We’ll hold them off! Kill that bastard!’_

_He cleaved the head of another elf and then turned to his right where Legate Cassia and her men were holding off the Aldmeri vanguard. He wanted to shout something at them but then heard an ear shattering crash of stone and metal._

His eyes shot open, quickly blinking to adjust himself to the faint blue light that came from the magical torches the college of Whispers used to light up the ancient ruins of Narfinsel. They had been at the ruins for eight days now and had so far not found a single trace of Valentis’ tomb. Saashi and the other scholars had been hard at work trying to discern the tomb’s location by slowly pushing their way deeper into the ruins. Framir had mostly been helping with clearing cave-in’s and defending against the odd Goblin or undead infestation they would come across, but most of the time he’d simply tried to stay out of the scholar’s way as it had become painfully clear he didn’t have any experience in the field. The Altmeri scholar Telarendil, who led the excavation, had almost completely ceased giving Framir any attention for the first few days, but after discovering Framirs aptitude of spells that could help clear out rubble he’d been all too happy to make use of his talents.

Framir looked around the small room they had camped out in to find out what had caused the crashing sound, he didn’t find out what caused the sound. But a few seconds later he saw a cloud of dust coming from a hallway to the left, followed by several figures running towards the hall. Telarendil emerged first from the dust, coughing terribly ‘Mr Pure-Wish, your help plea-’ before he could finish his sentence he once again had to cough, but Framir didn’t need more instruction as he could hear the sound of approaching undead wights. He quickly grabbed his sword and ran in the opposite direction of the scholars.

The wights were tough, and as he tried to modify his fighting style he managed to get a small cut on his left arm as one of the undead elves tried to go for his head. When all three of the wights lay dead he swore ‘Fuck’

_‘I need to practice more if I am to change my technique, I can’t even match the speed of some fucking wights’_

‘Uhm… mr Pure-Wish’ Framir turned around and saw Telarendil approaching with an excited expression, closely followed by Saashi and several other researchers ‘Ah, yes, very good! very good! excellent! You took care of those things’

The scholar wanted to head into the hallway the wights had come from but Framir blocked his way with his arm ‘Stop, tell me, what happened’

‘Uh we attempted to lift the seal on tomb door five using an arc-... yeah you wouldn’t get that. Anyway we tried to lift the incantation and then boom, simple enough?’

‘Yes’ Framir nodded ‘But there might be more of those things beyond here, you should let me head in to clear out the ruins for you so we can avoid another situation like this’

‘Yes! Excellent idea!’ Telarendil quickly nodded and then clapped in his hands ‘Well, quickly now! Chop chop, head in! We don’t have much time to lose’

‘Yeah, I’ll try to make it quick, calm down’

‘And! Make sure not to damage anything in there, ple-’

‘Don’t worry about it’ Framir sighed and cast a small magelight spell as he headed into the unknown tomb. The dimly lit room he stepped in was almost completely filled with dust, save for the tracks left by the wights. The room seemed like a small atrium to a larger tomb in the beyond, as there was a large door in the far end of the room with a glowing blue tree and five colored jewels etched into it, which formed a crown above the head of a gryffin that was flying above the tree. He carefully approached the large door, carefully avoiding the three large open caskets.

_‘Those wights must have escaped from those, if there’s more caskets in the next room I should be careful’_

As he approached the door he saw a faint blue shimmering light in front of the door. As he approached the door the shimmering blue light started to take a faint shape. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the shape. He decided to stop transfering energy to his magelight, causing the small light to fade out. In the perfect darkness of the tomb he could now clearly make out the faint blue shade which took the form of a man, an elf, wearing a silver crown inlaid with jewels. Framir could faintly make out the face of the spirit, the eyes blankly stared at him as he approached the door. When he was less than two meters away from the spirit, the spirit blinked and stepped back into the door.

For a moment, nothing happened. But after a few seconds the etching of the gryffin lit up in a faint blue shade, piercing the darkness, and the large door started to open by itself, slowly but steadily.

When he heard the door had stopped moving, he carefully stepped forward and saw the spirit suddenly standing less than half a meter in front of him ‘Woah! What are you?’

The spirit was silent but raised his left arm. Suddenly Framir felt a cold chill down his spine as energy was taken from his body in a small surge. Before he could cast any spells to protect himself, the surge stopped and a green flash came from the spirit’s core. After this flash, the spirit disappeared, but suddenly two bright lights were activated at the far end of the room he’d walked into, completely lighting up the room.

The lights revealed a large tomb filled with etchings and scrolls, in the center of the room lay a large sarcophagus, covered in a thick layer of dust. It was unopened, but before he could look at the sarcophagus he suddenly noticed what caused the lights which had lit up the room.

In the far end of the tomb there was a massive golden mural depicting a battle between two Ayleid princes, showing armies of undead behind a tall sorcerer prince and the sorcerer clashing in a fierce battle with a second prince. The tips of the sorcerer’s staff emitted the bright lights which had lit up the room.

Framir was mesmerized by the large mural but averted his gaze, raising his voice ‘It’s safe! Come over here! You want to see this!’

It took less than half a minute for the group of scholars to completely crowd the small room, Telarendil in front of them all, as usual ‘Ah, excellent! Magnificent! Absolutely stunning, miss Saashi, look at this wonderous sight! Wonderful, absolutely, wonderful!’

‘Saashi must agree’ Saashi approached the mural carefully ‘It seems we found Valentis’ burial chamber… this mural… it’s mesmerizing…’ she pointed at the sorcerer ‘Look! That must be Celemaril, the sorcerer-king!’

‘Yes, yes, you are right!’ Telarendil approached the mural carefully ‘The mural relates how Valentis fought back his brother’s undead forces’ he pointed at the far right of the mural ‘Here he is shown binding the Sorcerer-King in his tomb… somehow..’ Telarendil clapped in his hands excitingly ‘This room is filled with countless Ayleid annals, we should get to translating them immediately if we are to find out what exactly went down between Valentis and his brother!’

The scholars immediately went to work, and save for Saashi none of them paid Framir any more attention. He sighed ‘Well, let’s get back to the camp then and get some more sleep’ he yawned and wanted to leave the lit up burial chamber when suddenly he remembered the spirit. Since he assumed it to be mention worthy he stepped towards Saashi who was bowed over some ancient tablets together with Telarendil ‘Uhm, Saashi?’

The Khajiit looked up at him with a curious gaze ‘This one wants to talk to Saashi?’

‘Yes’ He nodded ‘When I entered the tomb I saw a faint spirit, seemingly made out of Aetherial energy, he opened the door to this burial chamber for me’

Suddenly Telarendil looked up ‘What is that you say? A spirit? Did you get a good look at it? Did it attack you? Did you anger it? Did it state it’s purpose?’

‘Woah, one by one’ Framir chuckled as Telarendil eagerly looked at him ‘I saw a spirit, an Ayleid spirit, I think it was Valentis as it was wearing a spectral crown and was able to activate the gryffin symbol on the door’ he pointed at the door to the tomb ‘That gryffin is the same animal as the one of our founder’s statue, which has now been destroyed’

‘Yes, indeed’ Saashi studied the symbol on the door ‘Saashi thinks you are right, that means Valentis indeed founded your town above the grave of his brother’

After questioning Framir extensively about his encounter with the spirit, the scholars returned to their work of studying the ancient materials. Once again devoid of their attention Framir made his way back to the encampment in the tunnels, he yearned for the sunlight, wanting to go outside. But it would take him almost an hour to get back up to the surface and he could never know when the scholars would need protection. Originally they had planned to take three guards with them, but when Saashi boasted of Framir’s capabilities, they decided to take him with them as their sole guard. Telarendil had justified it by saying that it would give them the budget of taking another two scholars with them, not paying any mind to the warnings Framir had given him.

He sighed as he laid back down on his bedroll, hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep before he would be needed again. He once more had a restless sleep with confusing dreams, but the following morning he didn’t remember what they were about as he got roughly woken up by Saashi ‘Dayne, wake up! Wake up!’

‘W-what’s wrong?’ His eyes shot open and he immediately reached for his sword ‘Are we being attacked?’

‘No, no, leave the sword’ In the faint light of the torches he could see Saashi waggling her tail in excitement ‘Saashi and Telarendil made a breakthrough, come, quickly!’

He rubbed in his eyes and followed Saashi while suppresing another yawn. When they reached the tomb of Valentis he saw Telarendil frowning as he was studying a set of ancient Ayleid tablets. When the two of them approached he looked up and he smiled widely in excitement ‘Ah, mr Pure-Wish, thank you for joining us, come, come!’ he motioned at the tomb ‘This tomb, yes, yes, this very tomb is one of the greatest discoveries of the Fourth Era! It contains all sorts of records on the Sorcerer-King, the Light-Bringer, and I think that our college will be studying this very room for at least another year’

‘Master Telarendil, please we need to tell Dayne about the sorcerer-king!’

‘Yes, yes, yes, I was getting to that!’ The elf laughed in excitement ‘You see, these scrolls and tablets we are yet to decipher more than seventy percent of them, but from what we were able to translate so far we have obtained records on the sorcerer-king’s rise to power, his conquest of the Heartland and his ultimate defeat by his brother, Valentis. This is just amazing, facina-’

‘Master Telarendil!’

‘Yes, Yes, Apologies’ The elf pointed at a specific scroll another scholar was studying ‘That scroll there, it contains Valentis’ order of erasing his brother’s name from history after his defeat, explaining why we and everyone else, know so little’

Framir frowned, impatient at the many sidetracks the scholar took with every sentence ‘Does it also say how Celemaril was defeated?’

‘Not exactly, but!’ The elf paused for a few seconds ‘But! It does mention Valentis used some kind of scroll to bind Celemaril’s body and spirit under an enchanted statue, confirming almost all our hypotheses’

‘A scroll you say?’ Framir crossed his arms ‘The bloodfall queen’s men, they found an enchanted scroll within the statue and took it to the queen’s keep, ever since then undead have been haunting her castle, which means there might be a connection’

‘Yes, yes, that is terribly interesting but I wasn’t finished’ Talerendil ignored Framir’s trail of thought and continued ‘What is interesting is that the author of the document that mentions the scroll describes the scroll as ancient, even for the Ayleid civilization. It is my hypothesis that the author was referring to what we know as an Elder Scroll, now the question is, where could that Elder Scroll have gone?’

‘Well’ Framir sighed ‘I just said, the queen’s men found an enchanted scroll within the rubble of the statue and took it to her castle’

‘The queen? What queen?’

‘The queen that rules over our realm as an imperial vassal’ Framir turned to Saashi ‘Saashi what do you think?’

‘Saashi thinks the Implications of this could be… enormous!’ Saashi tensely frowned ‘If it is indeed an Elder Scroll we must make sure that the undead cannot get their hands on it’

‘Quite so’ Telarendil nodded ‘It is my personal hypothesis, based on what all of you have told me, that the Sorcerer King has returned in some form, be it spirit form, undead form or as a Lich. And we cannot allow this Elder Scroll to fall in his hands’ Telarendil frowned ‘You see, it was used to bind and him. Meaning it might also be used to perhaps return him to his former strength. The fact that his undead, if he is indeed back, have not easily taken a small castle could only mean that he is currently not at his full strength, perhaps not even in a physical form. But his strength is growing, considering you said the undead are getting stronger’

‘Indeed, I will ride for the kingdom and inform the queen. Perhaps we can take the scroll somewhere safe’ Framir looked at Telarendil ‘Does the college have any safe places for a scroll which is being hunted by the undead?’

‘Is this an attempt at humor?’ Telarendil looked at him with a serious expression ‘The college has such places, but these places might not be ideal considering the gravity of the situation. I will send a messenger to his Highness to ask for his opinion on the matter. You should return to your queen, and I will make sure his Highness sends you orders once you are there’

Framir wanted to head back to the camp but was stopped by Telarendil ‘Mr Pure-Wish, you must realise this situation is far graver than we thought. If my hypothesis proves true, it means the Sorcerer-King is back and likely gathering his forces somewhere, I will relay this to his Highness. We will need to find out where he is gathering his forces so that the Empire knows what it’s up against, I will tell his Highness that you are willing to help with that and are already in the south by the time this message reaches him. Is that agreeable?’

‘It is, I’ll help out’

‘Good, now go, before it is too late’

Framir spent the next five days travelling as fast as he could, stopping only to give his horse some rest. On the evening of the fifth day he was exhausted, but saw the lights of Rivercrest on the dark horizon. He would spend the night in town and then depart once again at first light towards queen Urzoga’s keep.

The sun had already set for several hours when he stood in front of the town’s gates which seemed to have recently been repaired. He smiled at the sign of progress and used his fist to knock on the gate ‘Open the gates! I’m a friend’

It was silent for a moment but then heard a familiar voice ‘Didn’t you hear him? You dimwits! Open the gate!’

Suddenly the gate was opened and he saw several Imperial soldiers standing behind it, all with uncertain gazes at the late arrival in town.

‘I knew you would return, boy!’ The familiar voice of Henrik came from the watchtower next to the walls. Looking to the right he saw Henrik descending to the ground ‘You certainly took your time!’ When the old man approached and roughly hugged him, Framir saw he walked with a slight limp and had a long new scar on the right side of his face ‘It’s good to see you, boy’

‘You too, old man’ Framir then looked at the Imperial soldiers ‘Did general Marilaud send you?’

The soldier at the front nodded ‘Yes, the general dispatched our unit to Rivercrest. The general herself has taken refuge in the queen’s keep by the town of Alnwick’

‘I suspected as much’ He then turned to Henrik ‘I will be heading to Alnwick and the queen’s castle tomorrow with pressing orders’

‘Slow down laddy, are you not going to tell us what’s going on?’

‘I’ll have to depart at first light, but I am very hungry. So if you join me for my late dinner, I’ll tell you everything’

‘Aye, I will’ Henrik nodded at the imperial soldiers ‘Keep an eye on the gate for me, will you? We have some important business to tend to’

‘Uhm, sir we a-’

‘Thanks for your cooperation’ Henrik interrupted the soldier ‘I will see you in an hour or so’ Henrik put his arm on Framir’s shoulder and pointed at a large new building by the main road ‘We have rebuild the tavern, old Frenn, the baker, has taken to tending it. Head there to get yourself a mean, I’ll wake Malenwen, she’ll want to know’

‘Sure thing, but I don’t have any coi-’

‘We’ll cover it, boy’ Henrik wanted to walk off but before he did he turned around ‘I’ll also wake that poor Lea Jeanne, she’s been worried sick with all the lack of news, she’ll likely poison my next healing potion if she finds out I havent woken her up for this. Junius will also want to know, but that poor man needs his sleep. We’ll brief him in the morning’

‘Hasn’t Wanum come here to bring news?’

‘Nay, all we heard is that you three visited the imperial city and made sure the empire sent us some troops to protect the towns’ He pointed at the gates ‘Heard that from those blockheads, we haven’t seen Wanum’s mug anywhere close to the town’

‘Ah’ Framir yawned ‘I’ll see you at the tavern then’

Little more than twenty minutes later he was sitting at a newly built table in the small tavern hall of the new inn. The townspeople had decided to name the inn ‘The Fire Forged Platter’, and it had quickly become one of the most crowded places in town. This made it so that he was not only joined at his table by Henrik, Malenwen and Lea. But also by Lond the blacksmith and several other town residents who had been drinking mead at the tavern when he had entered. Payment for his food and drink wasn’t a problem, as initially the men at the tavern had wanted to cover the pay for him, but the old Innkeeper Frenn had waved any mention of payment away as it had been Framir who had rescued her from the burning town hall, thus deciding to repay this life saving debt by feeding him for free.

He was stuck at the tavern for almost an hour as the townspeople kept firing questions at him, trying to get him to tell them about every aspect of the past few weeks. Eventually Lea intervened by reminding all of them that he’d have to ride out early in the next morning and thus was in a dire need for sleep.

They decided to have him sleep in one of the inn’s rooms as the keys to the small house that had been constructed for him were still at the town hall. The moment he dropped down on the small bed he almost instantly fell asleep. After the past few days of travelling he was exhausted, so much so that his mind didn’t seem to have the energy to conjure up any coherent dreams. This made him feel well rested when he woke up in the morning.

After waking up almost an hour before daylight, he quickly headed towards the building Lea was now using for her shop to stock up on potions. When he knocked on the door it was opened by a visibly exhausted Lea ‘Hey’ she smiled and handed him a small pouch ‘I made these for you, did you have good use out of the last batch?’

‘Yeah’ He smiled ‘Haven’t had to use the invisibility potions yet through’

‘Good, because I didn’t have the ingredients to make any more’ She yawned ‘Now go quickly, the quicker you go, the quicker you’ll be back hmm?’

‘Yeah, thanks for the potions, Lea’

‘My pleasure’ She quickly hugged him and then tried to suppress a yawn ‘By Martin I should sleep, have a safe journey’

‘Thanks’ At that he made his way outside and picked up a new horse at the improvised stables. He once more rode as quickly as he could, reaching Alnwick by the end of the afternoon and reaching the queen’s castle only an hour later. He didn’t bother renting a room in the town and rather sped on towards the castle. As he approached he saw the landscape surrounding the castle had changed quite a bit since the last time he’d been there.

The lone castle, which sat on a small hill surrounded by forest had undergone quite a transformation. A set of fortifications had been erected in front of the castle’s, now reinforced, gates. In addition to that the forest surrounding the castle had been burned down for several meters to create a clearer overview of the surrounding lands and have a better idea of where the undead would attack. The castle’s walls were in pretty bad shape, with hasty repairs clearly visible. Even at this moment, just a few hours before sunset, he could see groups of imperial soldiers working on the walls of the castle as several others were building fortifications in front of it.

He quickly rode his horse around the fortifications, greeting the imperial soldiers and passing through the castle gates at great speed. Within the courtyard he saw a large number of military tents and imperial soldiers going about their business. He got off his horse as he approached the entrance to the queen’s keep where several of the queen’s mercenaries were still standing guard. He recognised some from the night he’d spend fighting at the castle and as they saw him approach they quickly called for the queen’s chamberlain.

While he waited outside the mercenaries told him there had been a large breach a while back when an undead mage had blasted the walls apart. The castle had nearly fallen as only ten mercenaries had remained to defend it, but as they were trying to defend the castle’s inner sections they had been saved by Wanum arriving with general Marilaud’s troops. With the new reinforcements they had easily been able to defeat the invading hordes of undead then and had quickly repaired the castle. But unfortunately the undead attacks had become even more vicious since, they were still able to hold the castle under the current pressure. But if the undead would become even stronger, there was no way of knowing for how long the castle would remain under their control.

Framir was in the middle of listening to one of the mercenaries recount fighting a horde of undead all by himself when the gates to the keep opened and Edrien Geornis, the lean Breton in service of the queen as her chamberlain, emerged ‘Ah, her Majesty’s favorite new subject, please follow me’

Framir bid the mercenaries farewell and followed Edrien into the queen’s keep. The castle looked bleak, as the damage from the breach was still clearly visible inside. There were several broken doors, tattered banners and stench of dead bodies still hung in the air. When they approached the doors to the queen’s throne room Edrien turned around ‘Her majesty is in conclave with the general, please be respectful’

‘Yes, yes, I will be’ Framir nodded and quickly walked through the door as it was opened for him by the chamberlain. The throne room was equally damaged by the breach and had definitely seen better days. The carpets were tattered and showed large stains of dried up blood in combination with a large hole in the roof, which five imperial soldiers were busy repairing. Framir saw queen Urzoga and general Marilaud standing next to a table in the middle of the small throne room, bowed over a map. Both looked up as he entered and respectfully bowed to the queen ‘Your Majesty, I have import-’

Queen Urzoga raised her hand and bruskly stepped toward him ‘Leave the pleasantries, Pure-Wish, cut to the chase, what have you uncovered?’

‘The scroll your men took from the statue is likely an Elder Scroll used to bind the spirit of the Sorcerer-King. It is indeed what he is searching for and why your castle is being attacked, we cannot allow his forces to take it’

‘So, you have proof that… legend.. you told Wanum at Rivercrest is true?’

‘Yes, we are very certain there is a connection between the destruction of the statue which sealed the sorcerer-king, and the undead attacks’

General Marilaud, who had so far been silent, nodded ‘So it is as that Elf from the college said? Did you also find answers as to how we can combat this threat there?’

‘Perhaps we did’ Framir frowned ‘We know the scroll can be used to bind the sorcerer king… but we don’t know how. I was simply sent here to make sure the scroll was still safe and to await further orders as Telarendil would send a messenger to his Highness’

‘I see’ Marilaud nodded and then looked at the queen ‘What about it, my Queen? Is the scroll still safe?’

‘It is’ Queen Urzoga nodded and looked at Framir ‘It is safely within the vaults of this keep, as are the enchanted stones my men found, have you uncovered what they are as well?’

‘No, none of the scholars mentioned them. But i’d guess that if they are enchanted, they are likely part of the mystery as well’

‘Indeed’ Urzoga nodded ‘So, it seems we have nothing else we can do until orders from the Imperial City arrive’ she looked at the general ‘So, we should further prepare for tonight should an undead horde come’

‘Indeed, I’ll inform my legates on our new defensive plans’ she nodded at Framir ‘I’ll leave you two for now’

When the general had left the throne room, leaving Framir and the Queen she motioned him to follow her to her throne. When she sat down she looked at him with a frown, keeping her voice down ‘So, has your new identity grown on you yet?’

‘It has, yes’ Framir smiled slightly ‘I hear after I left the castle was breached again?’

‘Indeed it was’ The orcish queen sighed ‘We were saved at the last minute, ever since the imperial troops arrived it hasn’t been hard to repel the undead. Their attacks have become a bit rarer, but when they attack they attack more precise and with greater numbers’ she folded her hands looking at him intensely ‘If these attacks continue becoming increasingly stronger, I am not sure for how long we will be able to hold. We need to find a solution to all of this, and quick’

‘Is there anything I can do to help while we wait for the imperial messenger?’

‘Yes, actually’ The queen sat up right and laid her arms on the armrests of her throne ‘Wanum and three other of my skilled men are scouting the forests south of the castle for undead activity, you should join him and see if you can find anything. We burned a line of the forest surrounding the castle to improve visibility, but the undead tend to rise further up in the forest’

‘As you wish’

‘Do you have any sort of luggage with you?’

‘No, only some provisions for the road’

‘Okay, in that case I will have a room prepared for you here at the keep. We might have to wait more than a few days for that messenger so expect to stay here for a while’

‘Sure thing’ Framir nodded ‘But for now I’ll go and search for Wanum’

‘That would be best’ The queen nodded and then dismissed him. Just before he left her throne room she spoke up again ‘Oh and Dayne, make sure to adress me properly again from now on. I allowed it out of haste, but you seemed to have become quite comfortable with it’

‘Of course, your Majesty’

‘Good, now get out of my sight’

The following three days Framir spent scouting the surrounding forests with Wanum. They did not find any evidence for more undead spawnings, something which worried the queen, as long intervals between attacks usually meant a stronger force would be approaching. Luckily the imperial reinforcements were able to greatly expand the defenses during the time that was given to them, giving them a fighting chance against a greater force.

A few hours after first light on the fourth day there was a knock on the door of his borrowed quarters and he heard the voice of Edrien the chamberlain ‘Mr Pure-Wish, the imperial messenger has arrived at the gates. Her Majesty requests your utmost haste in making your way to her throne-room’

‘I’ll be there in a minute!’ He got up from his bed and quickly put his clothes on. The quarters he’d been given were small, and a bit claustrofobic at times. But they did the job and the bed hadn’t been half bad, causing him to feel better rested in the last few days than he had for several weeks now.

As he made his way through the castle towards the throne room he encountered several imperial soldiers repairing the castle’s inner workings. With the work on the outer defenses all but complete they had now moved into the castle, trying to do the repairs of lesser importance. He pitied them slightly as he knew the emotions of young soldiers well, being brash and in search of adventure, not exactly looking for a job like carpenting, often having joined the legion to escape such mundane occupations.

When he reached the throne room he saw the Queen, Wanum and general Marilaud all waiting in anticipation. When he entered he walked over to them, and just when he reached them the front doors to the throne room were opened and an imperial with long black hair stepped in. He was dressed in the uniform of the Penitus Oculatus and bowed to queen Urzoga with a plain and stoic expression. He then calmly spoke up ‘Hail Queen Urzoga gra-Batul, I am Plautus Carellius, agent in service to the Penitus Oculatus. I bring a message from his Majesty Emperor Titus Mede the Second and his Highness prince Aemon Cephorus Mede’

Queen Urzoga sat right up in her throne and folded her hands ‘Speak, messenger’

‘I bring two messages, one by his Majesty and one by the scholar named Telarendil. I shall start with his Majesty’s message’ the agent crossed his arms ‘His Majesty commands the scroll you possess to remain here as he deems it too great a risk to transport it. Additional legionnairy units will be sent to the south to reinforce the protection of this citadel. In addition to that his Majesty the Emperor recommends great caution and no reckless actions be taken. His Majesty’s final missive is that the order given by the scholar Telarendil must be carried out’

‘And what are the scholar’s orders?’

The agent took out a small scroll, sealed using the emperor’s personal seal. ‘I am not allowed to pass them on myself, rather I am to give this scroll to the one bearing the symbol of the wolf. His Majesty and his Highness express that the bearer of this symbol knows best whom to trust with the information within’

The queen turned to Framir ‘That would be our Dayne here’ she nodded ‘You may give him the missive’

The agent nodded and after showing the wolf ring, handed the scroll to Framir who thanked the man shortly.

The queen then spoke up again ‘So, do I understand the emperor has returned to court?’

‘Not yet’ The agent shook his head, losing some of his formality now that the messages had been passed on ‘His Majesty is currently on his way home, but he has been in constant priority communication with his highness. The words I delivered have been drafted by them both’

‘I see, thank you. Will you stay here for the day, agent?’

The agent shook his head ‘I will not, I will depart with the one bearing the wolf symbol as soon as possible.’

‘Depart?’

‘I advise that the letter should be opened, so the one bearing the symbol, and those he trusts, will understand’

Framir looked around the room and then to Queen Urzoga, she nodded and raised her hand towards the guards in front of the door ‘Leave’ The guards quickly stepped away from the doors, closing them as they left. Leaving the group alone ‘Dayne, is there anyone in this room you don’t trust?’

‘No’ He shook his head and then looked at the messenger ‘I suppose you have already heard the message’

‘I have indeed, I have just been forbidden to pass it on’

‘Alright’ Framir carefully broke the seal on the scroll, laying his eyes on the words and reading them out loud for the people in the room.

‘Most esteemed mr. Pure-Wish,

A mere day after you left, your compatriot Saashi and I have done quite an exceptional discovery, truly a remarkable feat. Unfortunately it is unsafe for me to relay this discovery to you or his Highness in this manner. It is indeed the utmost form of secrecy we must employ, and it greatly pains me that I cannot share anything with you at this point as I am quite beside myself with excitement.

We are currently wrapping up our investigation of the ruins I shall not name in this letter, but afterwards Saashi and I will be headed to the “Rousy Goblin Inn” at fort Ontus, near the border with Hammerfell. Please join us there with the utmost haste.

Share this message with those you trust, have them come along, especially if they know how to swing a sword or preferably cast a spell, we will need some muscle with what we are about to do.

We will be waiting for you and those you bring at fort Ontus

My sincerest apology for being so cryptic, but we cannot allow for this information to fall into the wrong hands. Certainly you understand.

Please make haste, time is short.

Sincerely,

Telarendil,

Leading scholar of Ayleid history at the college of Whispers”

Framir looked around the room and noticed the troubled face of the queen ‘What do you think, your Majesty?’

‘I don’t know what to think’ She looked at Framir ‘But it sounds like you will be going, any idea who you will bring with you?’

‘Yes’ He nodded without hesitation ‘I have some friends at home I will bring, and’ he hesitated ‘I’d like to bring Wanum, if you can spare him, your Majesty’

‘I can’ She looked at the surprised Argonian ‘Will you go?’

‘If that is your wish, your Majesty’ the Argonian looked at Framir ‘If the queen wishes for me to go, it would be my pleasure to join’

‘Then join Dayne’ the queen then looked at the agent ‘It is my understanding you will be going as well?’

‘Indeed’ The agent, Plautus, nodded ‘His majesty has sent me as his eyes on this operation, whatever it may be, to make sure that whatever happens does not go against imperial interests’

‘I see’ The queen then looked at Framir. Then I recommend you make haste and hurry yourself towards fort Ontus’ she frowned ‘And if I may give another recommendation to both of you, considering the location of that fort I would suspect your scholar friend will take you into Hammerfell. Summer temperatures there are…. quite high. So I’d recommend taking some lighter garnments’

‘We will, your Majesty’ Wanum nodded and then looked at Framir ‘Let’s meet in the courtyard as soon as we can’ he then looked at Plautus and extended his hand ‘The name’s Wanum’

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you’ The agent said calmly, shaking the Argonian’s scaly hand’

‘I’m Dayne’ Framir nodded ‘And Wanum is right, let’s head out as soon as we can then. I’ll go and fetch my packs and then we can head out within half an hour’

‘That seems agreeable’ The agent nodded ‘I will quickly refresh myself then, I will meet you in the courtyard’

It didn’t take long for them to depart as both Framir and Wanum didn’t take much of their posessions with them. They travelled light and quick, something Framir had gotten quite used to over the last few months.

They arrived at Rivercrest an hour after sunset. This time, the men at the gates let them in without any trouble as soon as Framir had shown his face. Neither Henrik nor Malenwen was currently at the gates, but the soldiers pointed them to the town hall where they were currently attending a meeting on the town’s development.

They left their horses at the improvised stables that had been built near the gates by the townsfolk and quickly headed towards the town hall. As they walked through the town Framir had a lot more time to look around than he did last time. While the sun had already set, a lot of the townsfolk were still out and about, trying to have themselves a good time in the late summer evening. As they passed the newly built inn they could hear exuberant music coming from the tavern hall. The people of Rivercrest were finally able to return to normal life over the last few weeks, and it had a very positive effect on town morale. There were still several town districts that were damaged beyond repair, but the people who had lived there had now been relocated so that now nearly everyone had gotten their own place to stay.

As they approached the town hall he noticed the doors were standing open and the glow of the torches and candles within was seeping out. They quickly made their way towards the doors and entered into the small entrance hall of the town hall. The last time Framir had been here it had been empty save for a few benches. But now it had been decorated a bit with several newly constructed metal torch holders and some half burned objects on a shelf, including an imperial banner which had all but burned to a crisp. These objects served as a reminder of the town’s history and laid out in the open for any visitor to see. They saw that the door to Junius’ office was closed and they heard faint voices from the inside, causing Wanum to step forward and politely knock.

‘Come in’

Wanum opened the door and stepped into the well lit office of Junius, who had been officially appointed as town Major several days ago. As they stepped in, Framir notices several prominent townsfolk sitting around a small round table, which had replaced the desk Junius usually sat behind. There were several surviving town elders, but also people vital to the town’s survival and economy such as Lond the blacksmith, and several farmland owners. Framir saw both Henrik and Malenwen sitting next to Junius, wearing surprised expressions on their faces as they saw Wanum, Framir and Plautus step in. Especially Plautus, wearing his Penitus Oculatus uniform, grabbed the people’s attention.

All were silent until Junius spoke up ‘Welcome friends, I trust you have important news for us?’

‘Not exactly’ Framir shook his head ‘But we’ve come for Malenwen and Henrik, and we don’t have a lot of time’

‘I see’ Junius looked at the two town guardians sitting at the table ‘Since we’ve already spoken about the town’s defenses, I’d reccomend that you go with Fr- I mean mr Pure-Wish’

‘We will’ Henrik nodded and then looked around the table ‘Before I go, I once more want to thank everyone here for what you all did during the past months. It hasn’t been easy, but in my long life in this town I’ve never seen it’s peo-’

‘Old man, Dayne really needs to talk to us’ Malenwen interjected him ‘Maybe we should go’

‘Yes, eh, sorry’ Henrik stroked his beard and nodded ‘I will see you all at the next meeting, and thank you Junius for your excellent tea’

‘Old man, come’ Malenwen chuckled as she led Henrik out of the major’s office and into the entrance hall.

After they closed the doors behind them Henrik looked at Framir and then at Wanum ‘I reckon you two have something important if it’s worth dragging Malenwen and myself out of a town meeting’

‘Well if I may be so blunt’ Plautus started with a stoic smile ‘We could have waited for an hour, perhaps book a room at the inn, but these gentlemen insi-’

‘Yes yes’ Framir quickly interrupted him ‘This might not have been the best time, but if you two decide to come you might need all the time you can get to prepare’

Malenwen frowned ‘Come? Where to?’

‘Your town scholar, Saashi, needs help’ Wanum clarified and then quickly looked at Plautus before continuing ‘Dayne here got a letter from Saashi and a scholar she’s working with, they were very cryptic, but they are waiting for us at fort Ontus, at the border with Hammerfell. We don’t know what they want, all they said was to bring all the muscle we can gather and to only bring trustworthy people’

‘Which is why I wanted to ask the two of you’ Framir quickly added ‘I don’t know what they have planned for us, but apparently it’s going to be dangerous’

‘Count me in’ Malenwen said with a smile ‘I’ve been dying to head out of town for a bit’

‘Well, that’s one way of looking at it’ Wanum said with a slight smile ‘But I doubt it will be a pleasant trip, considering the wording that was used in the letter’

‘Still, I want to go’ Malenwen smiled and looked at Henrik who was frowning and stroking his beard ‘What about you, old man?’

‘I’m not sure’ Henrik said, then looking at Framir ‘Don’t get me wrong, boy. I’d go to Oblivion and back for you and the people of this town, but in the last undead attack on this village I hurt my leg’ he lightly stomped his left leg on the ground ‘One of those devils managed to cut up my muscle, Lea has tried to stitch it together but my leg needs more time. In this condition I’d be a liability’

‘Ah, i forgot to ask you about your leg last time, is every-’

‘Yeah yeah, I am fine’ Henrik laughed ‘Takes more than a jab to the leg to kill me, but in this state I would slow you down’ he then looked behind himself to the door and chuckled ‘And someone needs to make sure this town remains safe’

‘That’s fair’ Wanum nodded ‘It’s good to have someone here with a little more expertise of the surrounding lands and the town’s defenses to help the soldiers’

‘So, looks like I’ll be leaving you, old man’ Malenwen chuckled ‘I’ll pack my things, I reckon we leave at dawn?’

‘Earlier, if possible’ Plautus said ‘Also, I think introductions are in order. I am Plautus Carellius, agent of his Majesty’s Penitus Oculatus. I have been tasked to join your company to make sure nothing that gets done gets done against the interests of the empire’

‘Malenwen Thaoyiil, pleased to meet you’

‘Likewise’ Plautus nodded ‘Well then, I will go and book us some rooms at your inn and then go rest. I will see you all at first light’

‘Wait, I will go with you’ Wanum nodded ‘I am tired and need the sleep, what about you, Dayne?’

‘He actually has a house in town’ Malenwen said with a smile and then looked at Framir ‘I’ll fetch the key for you, I know where it is’ she then quickly headed towards the staircase giving access to the town hall’s higher level and dissapeared.

‘Well, then there is nothing left for me to do but wish you a good night’ Plautus nodded at Framir and then at Henrik, quickly leaving the town hall with Wanum. As they left, Framir could faintly hear they started to talk about the road ahead. This reminded him of the long way they would need to go, making him instantly tired.

‘So, boy, a Penitus Oculatus agent? Isn’t that a bit… risky?’

‘I don’t know’ Framir shrugged ‘He hasn’t talked much on our journey, doesn’t particulary seem to want to be here or anything like that. But when he’s talked he seems to be quite… agreeable?’

‘Hmhm’ Henrik stroked his beard again ‘Just be careful, you never know with those types’

‘I know’

‘Say, laddy, I’m heading back into the meeting’ He chuckled ‘Junius was just about to make some more of that delicious tea and I wouldn’t want to miss it’ he then frowned and looked at him more seriously ‘Be careful, and take good care of Malenwen, will you? She can be a bit.... enthusiastic sometimes’

‘I know, don’t worry Henrik’

‘Well, then I wish you the best my boy’ He pat him on the shoulder and quickly headed back into the town meeting, leaving framir alone in the entrance hall. He sighed and looked at the interior, he was truly impressed by how much the townsfolk had been able to do in just a few months. The architecture of the new buildings was simple, but practical. There was no true beauty in anything the townsfolk had made yet as all was geared towards survival. But as he’d heard last time when he visited the town on his way to the queen, there were plans to repair the town’s fountain and try to move some trees from the forest into the town, in addition to planting new vegetation and shrubbery, but the most ambitious project was by far the rebuilding of the founders statue. Junius had always been extremely fond of it, so much so that years ago he had a small scale model of the statue made for his home. This model had been recovered from the ruined remains of his house, and was now being used by the town’s mason workers to draw exact schematics to rebuild the statue in all it’s former glory using both recovered marble pieces and imported marble the town had collectively agreed to pay for.

He smiled, thinking back to his childhood when he and Malenwen would play with wooden swords on the square with the statue, having not a clue as to what was buried beneath it.

‘Hellooo?!’

He looked up, slightly startled. He’d been so focussed on his thoughts that he hadn’t heard Malenwen return ‘Hey, hi, sorry’ he smiled sheepishly and saw she had a small key in her hands, handing it to him with a smile.

‘Here you go, it’s small, and Lond made it, just like all the others’ she chuckled ‘Between us, I think he just used the same four key and lock designs every time so there’s a good chance at least one fourth of the town can break into your house from now on’

‘Great’ He laughed as they started walking out of the town hall ‘That means any and all valuables in there are already gone?’

‘Hah’ She laughed ‘I doubt there was anything to begin with, the mirror we found in your room was brought there. But the strongbox we found has been at Lea’s house for safekeeping, if you want we can pick it up quickly?’

‘Sure, but why there?’

‘Well, you seem to trust her, and of the three of us she’s at home most of the time, less opportunities for a break-in’ She laughed as they walked over to Lea’s alchemy shop, which stood at the same square as the town hall ‘Not that anyone in town would do such a thing, but better be safe than sorry, as the old man always says’

‘Wise words indeed’ He smiled as he knocked on Lea’s door. He waited for a moment and then heard something fall over inside and then a frustrated voice inside swear out ‘Argg! By Akatosh’s slightly deformed toe!’ then there was a second of silence as both Malenwen and Framir looked at one another with a chuckle and heard Lea’s voice from inside ‘I’m coming! Sorry!’

A few seconds later the door was opened by a visibly frustrated Lea, her hair was a mess and hung half loose and in additon to that her alchemical apron seemed to have several new chemical burns in it. When she saw Malenwen she immediately livened up and sheepishly smiled ‘Hey Malenwen, so-’ she then also noticed Framir standing and immediately seemed embarrassed ‘Oh, hey, Framir, diiiidn’t know you were in town’

Framir laughed at her confused figure ‘Is this a bad time?’

‘Not gonna lie, a bit’ She chuckled and bowed to them in an exaggerated fashion, regaining her usual comedic fashion ‘But please, honored guests, enter’

‘If this is a bad time we c-’

‘No no’ Lea shook her head ‘Please come in, just ehm’ she looked at the door in the back of her small storefront ‘Don’t go to my laboratory, there may or may not be some toxic fumes right now from a bottle of nightshade extract I may or may not have knocked over’

‘Uhm’ Malenwen started hesitantly ‘Are you sure it’s safe then?’

‘Yeah, yeah, definitely’ She smiled, knotting up the loose strands of her hair as she led them to a different door, leading to her living quarters ‘Just don’t go in there now, and probably don’t stay in the shop for too long’

‘Well, we weren’t planning to’ Framir chuckled as they stepped into Lea’s quarters, a single room with a devider standing at the far end of the room with a bed behind it. It was sparcely furnished with a small table, two chairs, a bench and two simple wooden cabinets making up most of it. Lea sat down on her table, leaning on her arms ‘So, what can I help you two with?’

‘Well, Malenwen told me you have a small strongbox in safekeeping?’

‘Oh! Yeah!’ Lea nodded ‘Don’t worry, I haven’t opened it or anything! Does this mean you are back in town permanently now?’

‘No, unfortunately not, so you will need to hold on to it for a while longer, if that is not a problem’ Framir sighed ‘But there’s some money in that box, and I’d like to take some for the road ahead’

‘That’s no problem at all’ Lea smiled and took the strongbox from one of her cabinets, handing it to him.

‘Thanks so much’ He opened the strongbox which only contained the pouch of coins and the old necklace from his mother. The necklace had endured some severe damage during the fire and he made a mental note to bring it to Lond for repairs, although he wasn’t sure Lond was skilled enough for the repair of jewelry. He then smiled and discretely put the necklace in the small pouch he’d carried with him for his coins and then took a few coins from the pouch in the strongbox, putting them in the small pouch. He then closed the strongbox again, handing it back to Lea ‘Are you sure you don’t mind to hold on to it for a bit longer?’

‘Certainly not’ She smiled as she put the box back in her cabinet and winked ‘If only so you have a reason to come and visit me again. That being said, where are you headed?’

‘Fort Ontus’ He looked at Malenwen ‘Saashi needs help and needs fighters for… well.. something? So Malenwen is also coming, but we have no idea what we’ll be doing’

‘I see’ Lea frowned ‘That sounds concerning, but considering you are going all the way to fort Ontus, you’re probably going into Hammerfell, right?’

‘Honestly, I have no idea’ Framir sighed ‘I’d say so too, but I know there are Ayleid ruins in the region, so we might head there’

‘Well, just as I said last time, just be careful and return here in one piece. I’ve had to take imperial soldier escorts into the fields when gathering ingredients due to the undead, and they are a lot less fun than you’

‘You never ask me’ Malenwen said with a smile ‘And I am sooo hurt by it’

‘Oh shut it, you and Henrik never have time’

‘Yeah, that’s it, the time issue’ Malenwen laughed and then pat Framir on the shoulder ‘It’s clear what my place here is’ she yawned and then tried to suppress it ‘But jokes aside, we should prepare ourselves if we need to leave early tomorrow, Raven boy’

‘Yeah, you’re right’ Framir sighed ‘Thank you for keeping my box safe, Lea’

‘A pleasure’ She smiled ‘Do you need some more potions?’

‘I haven’t used mine yet, so don’t worry’

‘What about you, Malenwen?’

‘I could use some, but don’t worry about it if you need to go back into your laboratory for it’

‘No no, don’t worry, I have some in the shop for you, give me one second’ Lea got up from the table with a slight hop and quickly walked into her shop, closing the door behind her. Malenwen and Framir waited in silence until she returned three minutes later, coughing loudly ‘Uhm, yeah’ she coughed ‘Okay so point one, you should leave through the backdoor’ she coughed again and spit on the floor ‘Okay that’s better, point two, here’s your potions Malenwen’ she handed her a bag filled with some small vials ‘You know how to use them, and if not, most of them have labels’

‘Thanks, and uh, are you sure it’s safe in here?’

‘Uh, yeah, totally, tooootttaally safe’ She looked at the door ‘But still, exit through the back door’

‘That doesn’t sound all too safe’ Framir frowned ‘Are you sure you will be okay?’

‘Yeah yeah, don’t worry. All I need to do is brew an antidote and then vaporize it in order to neutralize the fumes, all I need is some ferm-’ She paused in thought ‘Butttt I’m gonna need my laboratory for that…..’ she scatched her head in thought ‘Yeah okay, we should get out of here, now, before the fumes reach this room’

‘I remember you saying it was safe here?’ Malenwen looked concerned ‘You can’t stay here, can you?’

‘Don’t worry about me, I’ll just rent a room at the inn for the night’ She frowned as she quickly picked up some of her belongings and some clothes ‘Theeee poison should be neutralized by itself in 48 hours, so don’t worry about it’

‘Yes, worry about it’ Malenwen said with a frustrated frown ‘What about the rest of the town?’

‘The fumes are harmless in the open air’ She smiled sheepishly as she walked towards a door in the back ‘The town is safe, it’s just my house that’s going to be… how do I say this? A dead zone for the coming two days’ she opened the door, revealing part of her simple kitchen, which had a single fireplace and some recycled pots and pans ‘Through here, quickly, chop chop. You guys don’t want to choke’

They quickly left the house, standing in Lea’s small garden where she was growing some ingredients. Framir and Malenwen looked at Lea, who didn’t seem bothered by the situation in the least.

Framir chuckled and raised a brow ‘You seem awfully calm for someone who’s house has just become, in your words, a dead zone’

‘Wellll’ Lea said, scratching her head slightly in embarassment ‘There was a vial of concentrated fermented Jarrin Root next to this one, if it had been that vial we’d all have been dead by now. So honestly I’m just relieved it was only the nightshade extract’

‘Remind me, why do I buy potions from someone who drops their deadly poisons’ Malenwen jokingly said as she opened the small wooden gate to Lea’s garden.

‘Probably because I am the only one in town and I’m being forced to work with primitive racks not fit for my vials’ She laughed ‘Or maybe it’s my out of this world beauty, one of the two’

‘I think it’s the first option’ Malenwen laughed and then looked at Framir ‘Can you help her get to the inn? I really need my sleep and still need to pack my things’

‘Yeah, no problem’ Framir nodded ‘Don’t take too much with you, Plautus wants to travel fast and light’

‘Yeah yeah, don’t worry’ She turned to Lea and gave her a quick hug ‘Thanks for the potions, and good luck with the shop’

‘I’ll be okay’ Lea smiled sheepishly, returning the hug ‘And you good luck with… well.. whatever you guys are going to do’

At that Malenwen walked off, leaving Framir and Lea alone on the square in front of her house which was only illuminated by a few torches.

‘Before we go’ Lea said, handing Framir a few of the belongings she’s grabbed ‘I need to put a notice on the door, some lumberjacks visit me in the morning for some strength potions and I wouldn’t want them to accidentally become a victim of the dead zone’

‘smart’ They walked over to the town hall and took some parchment from the new archive room. The town meeting was still going on, althrough it seemed that by now the meeting had turned to less serious matters as Framir could hear Henrik laugh loudly through the walls.

After putting a notice on Lea’s door they started to walk towards the inn, but before they reached the main street framir sighed ‘Wait, both Wanum and Plautus have rented rooms, are there more than two rooms?’

‘Well shit’ Lea sighed and yawned ‘Well, that’ll be sleeping under the bridge then’

‘There’s no need for that’ Framir laughed ‘I have a house I don’t use, just stay there as long as you need to get rid of the dead zone. Just… you know… don’t turn my house into one’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yeah, very’ He smiled ‘I’ll be gone at first light tomorrow, and I dont think I’ll see the town back for another few weeks. So feel free to use the house when your laboratory is trying to kill you again’

‘Did I ever tell you-’ she yawned ‘-that you are the best?’

‘Not directly, but I know I am’

‘Can I take it back and have you be like, somewhere in the top five?’

‘No’

‘Damn’

Both of them laughed and then started walking towards the district where Henrik had said Framir’s new house had been located. When they entered the street Framir hesitated ‘So, ehm, slight problem. I know I have a house, I just don’t know which one’

‘Lucky you, you brought me’ She walked over to a small simple house with a triangular roof. It had two small floors and a simple, but sturdy oak wood door. He handed Lea the clothes he’d been holding and fetched the key from his pocket, unlocking the door ‘After you, my lady’

‘Why thank you good sir’

He walked in after her and cast a small magelight spell, illuminating the room. His house was significantly smaller than Lea’s as she had occupied one of the old communal sleeping quarters. His house only had a single large room which held a small kitchen, a bench, a table and two chairs. There was no further furniture exept for a small pot in his kitchen, likely to be used to store food in. On the right side of the room, next to a small, now dark, window was a set of stairs leading to his second floor. They scaled it together and he found that on his second floor he had two smaller rooms, one room reminiscent of a bath room, with a small constructed tub in it and a cabinet with his old mirror placed on top. And the other a small bedroom, with a fairly large but simple bed and two cabinets to put his garments in.

‘Sooo? What do you think?’

‘I like it’ He smiled, the light of his magelight illuminating the small bedroom ‘It’s perfect for my retirement’

‘Did you know, that it was I, the great Lea Jeanne, who took the time out of my schedule to place that mirror in your bathroom?’

‘That must have been a big sacrifice’ Framir laughed and yawned ‘But I think I’ll be able to fully appreciate it in the daylight, so let’s catch some sleep’ he yawned again and leaned against the wall ‘I’ll sleep on that bench downstairs, you can have the bed’

Lea burst out in laughter ‘Well that is awfully gallant of you, but I think Malenwen, Henrik and Wanum will then hold a contest as to who will be allowed to cut my head off first if I have you sleep on that wooden bench on the evening before you leave town’ she yawned and sat down on the bed, patting it with her left hand ‘We can just share this one, it’s big enough’ she chuckled at Framir’s expression as the offer had seemingly caught him off guard ‘You probably forgot, as in general you seem to be quite slow witted, so I’ll spell it out for you. Before you left for the imperial city I gave you a kiss for good luck, in most cultures that means that person kinda likes the other person. I understand that in the place where you come from there’s probably nothing like that, cultural barriers are a hard th-’

‘You can stop now’ Framir laughed ‘Fine, fine, we can share’

‘Very good’ Lea laughed and yawned again ‘How honorable of you’

A bit of a loaded silence then fell between them as both of them seemed to be unsure of what to do next. The silence was broken when Framir yawned, again.

‘Well, good sir’ Lea started in her usual comedic fashion ‘I propose that you shall turn around so the lady can help herself in her sleepwear’

‘Alright’ He smiled and turned around ‘I’ll go to the bathroom for a second, I believe there was some water in the tub, I’ll clean my face a bit’

‘That must be some old water by now, smell it first, will you, to see it’s not infected’

‘Good call’ Framir quickly went to the bathroom and cleaned his face with the, still very normal smelling, water and then headed back to the bedroom where Lea was already laying under the covers, sprawled all over the bed ‘I think it’s unfair’

‘What is?’

‘Your bed, it’s far better than mine’ She laughed ‘Probably because it’s newer and Gerdir got better at making them. His first beds were just awful’

‘Well you can use it as much as you like while I’m gone’

‘I’m holding you to that’

‘Now if the lady can please cover her ey-’

‘Yeah yeah, go ahead’ Lea draped the cover over her head as he quickly changed into his sleep tunic and then stood in front of the bed, looking at Lea who had spread herself all over the bed ‘So where exactly am I supposed to lie down? You are kind of taking up all of the space’

‘Please repeat that sentence, and then analyse where any of that is my problem’

‘Jerk’ He laughed as she made room for him. He then also laid down and sighed, letting his magelight go out by cutting off the energy stream.

‘I am so tired, you have no idea’

‘You and me both’ Lea yawned again and loosened her hair knot, throwing the piece of rope which had held the knot in place towards the dark window ‘But I’m glad you’re back for now, and I’m secretly even happier I am here’

‘So am I, you make pleasant company’

‘If all it took is some spilled nightshade extract to get into your bed I’d have spilled some weeks ago’ she chuckled ‘Just kidding, just kidding’

Framir burst out in laughter ‘By Stendarr, how am I supposed to respond to something like that?’

‘Well…. maybe by returning that kiss I gave you a few weeks ago and then kindly wishing me good night?’

‘Why am I’m starting to think you set this all up’

‘Oh shut up, I wouldn’t break such a valuable vial if I’d set this up, I’d take a far cheaper poison, like venom of a re-’

He cut off her sentence by quickly giving her a kiss in the dark ‘Good night’

She was silent but he then felt a kiss on his cheek ‘Good night’ he then felt her curl up next to him, putting her head to rest on his chest and draping her right arm over his torso. His lips curled up in a smile as he embraced her with his left arm, lightly stroking the strands of her messy hair as both of them quickly fell into a deep, pleasant sleep. The next morning he would feel conflicted about getting up, and leaving at all, as in the coming night he would have the best sleep he’d had in a while. But those were the worries of the morning, which were still a few blissful hours away.


	6. Buried Flames

### Buried Flames

Framir pulled his sword out of the body of a now dead bandit. They’d been riding for seven whole days and would arrive at Fort Ontus early in the next day, the road had been calm and the late summer weather had treated them well. Only in the last few days, as they threaded further from well used and well guarded roads they had encountered trouble, mostly in the form of bandits and wild animals. None of those had presented a big challenge to the band of trained warriors, but Framir was worried about Saashi and Telarendil and whether they would have arrived at the fort at all.

‘Hey Dayne’ Malenwen yelled from a few yards away ‘How many did you get?’

‘Three!’

‘Hah! I got four!’

‘Unfortunately for the both of you, I managed to take down five’ Plautus said with a stoic smile as he cleaned his blade, a lean steel sword, using a piece of fabric ‘It seems my training has once more proven to be superior to the peasants’ he chuckled slightly, letting go of his stoic expression for a short moment.

Over the course of their journey Plautus had considerably loosened up, especially after the group had decided to do some sparring sessions on the second evening and Framir had asked him to help him train. Framir had decided to ask Plautus, as the fighting style employed by a lot of Penitus Oculatus agents was nearly as fast as that of the blades. He’d have to relearn a few moves, but with Plautus’ help he hoped to still be able to use his speed without immediately giving away his past.

Plautus, as it had turned out, was more than willing to teach him. And after the first evening, both Malenwen and Wanum had joined in. The stoic Imperial clearly enjoyed training them, and was able to loosen up slightly towards them because of it.

On the fourth evening he had explained to them that he had a great sense of duty and was personally trusted by both the Emperor and the prince, this was his first mission in the royal family’s personal employ and thus he tried to be as professional and precise as possible. He’d even apologised to them for coming off as “perhaps a bit cold”.

While he remained very stoic and calm, he started to show great interest in the stories, especially those regarding the rebuilding of the village, something he’d called ‘Very inspiring”. In his turn he’d often tell stories over dinner of his previous, non classified, missions with the highlight being a secret operation into Elsweyr during the Great War where he’d had to fight several Thalmor mages. He’d been very proud while telling the story, as he told them that as a kid he’d never truly had an aptitude for magic and because of it he focussed on it during his Penitus Oculatus training, so he’d be able to counter even the Thalmor high mages if need be.

Plautus sheathed his sword and looked at the horizon behind them, as they came closer to the mountain range that seperated Cyrodiil from Hammerfell they started to climb higher into the hills. On clear days they could see the Imperial city and the glistening lake behind them in the large valley that was the Heartland ‘I think we might arrive earlier, if we continue riding after dinner today I think we might make it to fort Ontus before mid-night’

‘I’m not sure’ Wanum squinted his vertical reptile eyes at the stars ‘I think we shouldn’t count on it’

‘No, Plautus is right’ Framir studied the area around them ‘We are actually much further ahead than we planned because we pursued those bandits’

‘Well there is one thing I know, just standing here and arguing about how far along we are doesn’t get us any closer to fort Ontus’ Malenwen laughed and sheathed her sword, then climbed her horse again ‘I trust Dayne’s judgement, so let’s go!’ The blonde elf looked at them in anticipation and then the others also got back on their horses, ready for the final track.

Before they had left, Framir had told Malenwen Plautus knew him as “Dayne Pure-Wish” and that it’d be best if she referred to him as that from that point onward. To his surprise she’d simply nodded and had gone with it from that point onward, making Framir suspect Henrik might have told her a bit more than he’d let on. But if Henrik had, Malenwen didn’t seem to let it on in any other way.

Once they were back on their horses they travelled with great speed. The horses did not seem to mind the badly paved roads at the end of the empire and sped over them with haste as both rider and animal craved the rest their arrival would bring them.

Plautus and Framir had been right, as two hours after sun-set they could see the lights of fort Ontus in the distance. It was difficult to thread the dark paths, but fortunately both Framir and Plautus were able to cast magelights to help them on their way, causing them to still make significant progress.

It took them another three hours of riding in the dark for them to reach the fort, if it had been lit by the light of day, they would have seen that the fort was strategically placed on a long stretched hilltop, overlooking the Nunon mountainpass leading into Hammerfell. Despite it not being a major traderoute, this mountain pass was often used by travellers to travel into Cyrodiil from Hammerfell or the other way around. This caused fort Ontus to be a popular first or last stop for travellers in Cyrodiil, making it so that the fort not only had a small garisson of soldiers but also several merchant outposts and inns for travellers to spend the night. When they arrived at the gates of the fort they were first thorougly questioned by it’s guards as per usual the gates would be closed two hours after sunset. Only after Plautus had shown them his Penitus Oculatus credentials were they willing to let them through and were they able to make their way towards the inn Telarendil had told them he and Saashi would be waiting, the Rousy Goblin Inn.

It didn’t take long to find the establishment, as it was likely the best inn of the three within the fort’s walls. They left their horses at the stables and quickly made their way to the building, passing empty market stalls which would likely be occupied once more at the moment the fort’s gates would open.

‘Are all Imperial forts so… grim?’ Malenwen asked as they crossed the courtyard to the small in ‘We stayed at five of them now, and all of them make me… tense..’

‘Fort’s are not like towns miss Thaoyiil’ Plautus chuckled slightly ‘These places are built for the empire’s defense and safety, they are not permanent residences nor are they places for merriment. They are an essential part of our defenses, and at best a quick stop for travellers who wish to spend the night in safety’

‘Yeah but still… I was told Fort Ontus was a place where travellers from both Hammerfell and Cyrodiil met… I guess I expected more’

‘To be fair, we are here at night’ Framir yawned ‘Perhaps tomorrow morning you will be proven wrong’ he pointed at the far end of the courtyard where several carts stood, guarded by soldiers ‘Apparently there are several merchant caravans here, so I think the place may have a different energy tomorrow’

‘Yeah yeah, we’ll see’ She stretched her arms ‘For now, all I want is a good bed. I’m all stiff from travel’

‘You can say that again’ Wanum opened the door to the inn ‘Let’s just hope Saashi and that elf made it here, otherwise we might have to go out and look for them’

Luckily Wanum’s worries were unfounded as the moment they stepped into the calm tavern hall they saw Saashi and Telarendil sitting at a table, bowed over rolls of old looking parchment. When the group entered, Saashi looked up and bared her fangs in a wide smile. She stood up and walked up to them ‘This one is glad to see you are already here! Come, quickly! This one and master Telarendil have much to say!’

‘Calm now, Saashi’ Wanum smiled ‘We are all hungry, so let’s first order some food and then talk’

‘No no!’ They suddenly heard in a raised voice belonging to the high elf scholar, who hadn’t taken the time to look up from the parchment ‘This is truly important! No! Exquisite! There is no ti-’

‘Yeah well, it will have to wait as my stomach is going to eat itself in a moment’ Framir chuckled.

They quickly ordered some food and grabbed some chairs, putting them down next to the table the two scholars had been sitting at. After Malenwen and Plautus had introduced themselves, something which greatly bothered Telarendil as he truly wanted to tell them everything as quickly as possible, they got their meals and Telarendil was finally able to start.

‘Well’ He finally looked up from the parchment, something he hadn’t deemed necessary so far ‘Well, well, well. First of all, thank you so much for coming this quickly, we hadn’t expected you for another three days, truly splendid. Is the Elder Scroll safe?’

‘Yes, it is’ Wanum nodded ‘As are the gems the queen’s men recovered from the statue’

‘Gems? That is quite interesting, I hadn’t he- sorry, I’m trailing off. That is very good, very good indeed!’ Telarendil looked around the table in excitement ‘We have uncovered a great deal at Valentis’ tomb, yes, a great deal indeed. First of all, we were still not able to uncover how the elder scroll was used to bind the sorcerer king’

‘That sounds like bad news, rather than good news’ Wanum shook his head ‘Get to the point’

‘Yes, yes, I was getting there. But within the manuscripts of the tomb, you know what we found?’ He looked at Saashi in great excitement ‘We found records of someone who might know it, because they were there when the sorcerer king was bound!’

Framir frowned ‘You mean Valentis himself? I did see his spi-’

‘No no no, no other scholars have seen the spirit, we have come to the conclusion it might have been something else, perhaps a magical projection by the tomb or something like that’ Telarendil energetically shook his head ‘No no, friend, this individual still yet lives! And best of all, it’s our dear Saashi who knows where to find him!’

‘But I thought all the Ayleids had long since died, become extinct?’ Malenwen shook her head ‘Have you truly met a living Ayleid, Saashi?’

‘No… no this one hasn’t’ Saashi seemed uncertain and she talked softly, looking around the table, letting her eyes rest on Framir by the end ‘This one once met someone while travelling… within the tomb we found documents.. documents that Saashi believes describes this individual perfectly’ she sighed and seemed very tense ‘But before Saashi continues, this one needs vows from all of you to keep Saashi’s secret safe’

They all nodded, but Saashi’s eyes remained on Plautus. Once he realised she was looking at him he folded his hands and slightly smiled ‘Do not worry about me, his Highness has given my the freedom to keep secrets from him as long as these secrets are not detrimental to the Empire or it’s interests’ he rested his eyes on her nervous gaze ‘Unless this mystery involves something along that description I will be silent as a grave’

‘Okay… Saashi trusts you then’ She took in a big breath and then explained ‘This one once met someone very old while travelling through the Alikr desert. Saashi actually met him by accident as Saashi had gotten lost, separated from the caravan she was travelling with. It was around mid-night, Saashi had set up a camp close to a large hill in the desert. And then while Saashi was making fire she met him as he was hunting for food, he was very wise and old. He was even able to help Saashi with her research at the time and guide her back to the road’

‘So, what’s so secret about this mysterious guy?’ Malenwen chuckled ‘So far he sounds alright’

‘Well… _he_ is a dragon. Shulkunaak’ She quickly continued, ignoring the shocked faces and the excited smiles and nods from Telarendil ‘This one recognised the name of a dragon within the ancient scripts, they called him “Guide of Sunlight’, which is the direct translation of Shulkunaak from the language of Dragons’

‘Yes, yes, yes! Indeed!’ Telarendil had trouble controlling his excitement as he nearly jumped off his seat ‘And this dragon still lives, apparently sheltering himself in the tunnels under that hill, hunting only by night, far away from civilisation. He fled there after the Dragonguard and later the Blades started hunting the last dragons down, but during the time of the sorcerer-king, he apparently fought by Valentis’ side’ he smiled widely ‘This is a remarkable, no, not just remarkable, I dare say wonderful discovery! A living dragon! And one with the knowledge to end our current crisis at that’

They were all silent, processing what Saashi and Telarendil had just told them. The silence persisted until Plautus finally broke the silence ‘This… is very interesting, and indeed remarkable’ he looked at Saashi ‘This dragon, do you know his intentions?’

‘Nothing bad, Saashi swears. Shulkunaak simply wishes to live in peace, and Saashi has promised him to let him do so, so please keep this to yourselves, alright?’

‘There is one thing I don’t understand yet’ Framir frowned ‘If this dragon is so peace loving, why did you need us to bring, and I quote “Muscle”’

‘Well.. uhm..’ Saashi looked over at Telarendil and bared her fangs in an embarassed smile ‘Because Shulkunaak told Saashi that if she ever returned or told his secret to anyone he would… burn her to a crisp’

‘So, this is a suicide mission?’ Malenwen crossed her arms and frowned ‘If I’d known that I wouldn’t have cleaned up before leaving my house’

‘No no no, not necessarily esteemed warrior’ Telarendil shook his head ‘You see, Dragons thoroughly enjoy sport, if you manage to beat him somehow, I’m sure he’ll cooperate’

‘Still all I hear is a suicide mission’ Wanum crossed his arms as wel and narrowed his vertical pupils ‘Be honest here, how much chance of success do you think we will have?’

‘This one doesn’t know’ Saashi shook her head ‘Shulkunaak might cooperate without any violence, or he might attempt to burn this one’s fur off’ she nervously bared her fangs ‘But Saashi knows this is our only chance’

‘Well, then we don’t have much of a choice, do we’ Plautus nodded and looked at Framir ‘What do you think, Dayne?’

‘I think you are right… I don’t like our odds, but it might be our only chance’

‘Then that has been decided’ Telarendil said with a clap in his hands, smiling all the way, apparently not bothered by the almost certain death that would be waiting for them in the desert. He then smiled again ‘I took the liberty of sending a courier ahead to the town of Istrus at the desert’s edge. There will be camels waiting for us… perhaps too many camels as we didn’t know how many people would show up. If we depart tomorrow morning we might get to the desert’s edge in two days’

‘How long is it to that hill?’

‘This one doesn’t exactly know’ Saashi shook her head ‘It is within the undocumented parts of the desert, but Saashi remembers the place she got lost, which is about three days out in the desert. From there the hill is reached within a day on camel’

‘Small chance of success? Almost guaranteed to become close to a fried iguana’ Wanum shrugged ‘Why not’

‘Have some courage my dear Argonian’ Telarendil said ‘All I see before me are very capable warriors, I see no reason why the four of you wouldn’t be able to prevail against any foe’

‘It’s not like we have much of a choice’ The Argonian chuckled ‘But I’m going to bed, if we’re going to fight such a thing we might as well be well rested. Good night everyone.’

It didn’t take long for all of them to head to their rooms and fall asleep, each with varying success as they thought about the road that lay ahead of them. Framir once again had a restless night with a series of incoherent dreams and nightmares haunting him during the night...

_‘What do you think of our odds?’’_

_Framir looked up from the report he’d just been handed ‘They are terrible’ he swallowed uncomfortably. In his mind he cursed his predecessor, it was only two days ago when the grandmaster’s death had been reported to Cloud Ruler temple, but there had been no time to mourn, as the same messenger had reported that several Aldmeri cohords had broken through the Imperial defensive lines at fort Caractacus and Chalman. It had been the second disaster in the span of a month, as earlier that month the Imperial City itself had been evacuated and eventually abandoned to it’s fate when the emperor had broken out of the city._

_The news of their grandmaster’s death and the approaching Aldmeri forces had created a situation of virtual panic in Cloud Ruler temple, while they were leaderless an army of Aldmeri soldiers was pushing north towards the temple. This had caused for a quick election in which he had been chosen as interim grandmaster, as he had been the temple’s sole remaining strategist. He had quickly ordered for the temple to be made battle ready, a daunting task, considering they were very low on manpower and the Aldmeri forces were closing in at a rapid pace._

_‘So, grandmaster, what do you propose we do?’_

_Framir sighed and looked at the knight who had asked the question ‘We’ll try to make a stand here at the temple, we cannot abandon it as there is no time to ship out the entire archive’ he sat down with another deep sigh and looked at the gathered knights ‘Our ancestors have claimed this Temple to be untakable, let’s hope that proves true’ he held up his hand as he saw one of the knights wanted to protest ‘We need to reopen the entrances to the tunnels leading into the mountain, if things go south we will use that to evacuate as many of our people as we can. But we cannot let the Thalmor scum take this place, if they manage to get a hold of the archives all of our members across the continent will be in grave danger’ he looked at one of the battle mages ‘Anarion, gather the mages. If things go south, I want you guys to burn the entire archive’_

_‘Sir, isn’t that a bit… extreme?’_

_‘Yes’ Framir nodded and then pointed at the report ‘But as we just discussed, it’s become clear that they are on their way here, might be here within a day even’ he bit his lip ‘We don’t have time to safely ship them out, we either hold firm here, or burn everything’_

_‘Understood’_

_‘Good… good…’ Framir then stood up ‘Let’s put the final hand on the defenses’ he then looked at one of the younger knights ‘And you, get out of here as soon as you can, you need to deliver our message to the emperor, without his aid we’ll be done for’_

_He then suddenly felt lightheaded and closed his eyes, breathing out deeply._

_‘Raven, are you feeling alright?’_

_He opened his eyes again and suddenly noticed he was standing in the throneroom of the Emperor’s Tower in Solitude ‘Yes.. uhm… sorry, your Majesty’_

_‘So, how many are left?’_

_‘Fifty three’ Framir rubbed his eyes ‘That’s everyone who was able to escape the slaughter’ he coughed as ever since escaping the fires of Cloud Ruler temple less than two weeks ago he’d had trouble breathing ‘They are all now at the safehouse in the Rift’_

_‘What about the archives?’_

_‘We burned them all’ He chuckled hollowly, which transformed into another cough ‘I even went back into the flames to make sure they wouldn’t get their hands on anything’_

_‘Good’ The emperor laid his hands in his lap ‘I..’ he seemed to reconsider his words ‘I am sorry… sorry my men weren’t there in time’_

_‘It is what it is’ Framir sighed ‘If the last grandmaster had kept the temple battle ready we might have been able to hold it as well, there is no use in pointing fingers, we need to think of a way forward’_

_‘Quite so, you are right’ The emperor sighed ‘How much do you think you can still do?’_

_‘Not much’ Framir paced back and forth in front of the emperor’s throne ‘We’ve lost about sixty percent of our operatives, lost contact with several regional safehouses. The Blades are scattered, we are trying to reestablish contact, but it’s chaos, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do much’_

_‘I see’ The emperor stood up from his throne, stepping down the pedestal to face him at eye level. He then whispered with an almost desperate undertone ‘Listen Raven, I don’t know who I can trust anymore’ he sighed ‘At every turn in the war, the elves seemed to know exactly where our troops were, the entire army seems riddled with spies, but so far we have found not a single one’_

_‘I know’ Framir nodded ‘Last year I helped the investigation in Anvil’, we also found nothing’_

_‘And yet, they seem to know everything’ The emperor suddenly seemed extremely fragile and tired ‘I have a plan, it is the last thing I will try’ the older man locked eyes with Framir, trying to gaze his intentions in them ‘This winter I will recall all available troops to Cyrodiil, at the first day of spring we will attempt to retake the Imperial City, if that fails, I’ll try to negotiate’_

_‘Not to be disrespectful, your Majesty, but what makes you think the elves will not see it coming this time?’_

_‘Because every single part of the plan will be designed in such a way that the placement of our troops will, hopefully, confuse them’ He looked at Framir and chuckled hollowly ‘Don’t look at me like that, I know it’s a fool’s hope. But we cannot surrender now, we must try, one last time’ the older man looked at him again ‘Will you be there when we attack?’_

_‘I’ll try’_

_‘Thank you’ the emperor closed his eyes ‘Dine with me, will you? Before you return to the Rift, I am not sure who in my own staff I can trust and I have a few things I wish to discuss about my plans’_

_‘Of course, your Majesty’_

_He followed the emperor into a dining room and looked at the fireplace, the fire in it was warm, but did not compare to the heat he suddenly felt around him. He looked behind himself, towards the emperor to see what the cause for the heat was. But the emperor was gone, as was the dining room. They were replaced by a burning town he suddenly found himself in, he saw his friends, Malenwen, Henrik, Wanum, Lea all trapped in it’s buildings as the flames found their way to them. He took a deep breath as he made a realisation ‘It’s a dream’_

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his room as he heard Wanum’s soft snore in the bed across from his _‘Why do I keep getting these dreams?’_ he sighed and turned in his bed, closing his eyes again.

Fortunately the latter half of his sleep seemed to be deeper as when he woke up he couldn’t remember the contents of his dream and managed to feel quite rested despite the unruly first half of his night.

When he emerged from the room he shared with Wanum he saw that the Argonian warrior was already having breakfast with Plautus who was now wearing a set of plain clothes instead of his uniform. He joined them at their table, sitting down on a small stool ‘So, what do you guys think now? Do you still wish to tag along?’

‘I’m under orders to stay here’ Plautus shrugged ‘Let’s just hope for the best’

Wanum shrugged too ‘I promised I’d come along, and I intend to keep that promise, besides this is potentially the only way to get rid of those creatures roaming around the kingdom. So it may be the only thing we can do to return to a peaceful life, so, yeah, I’ll come’

‘Good morning’ Framir heard Malenwen’s voice behind him and then saw her also joining them with some bread ‘Are Saashi and Telarendil already awake?’

‘Yeah’ Plautus nodded ‘They were here when I got up, they have gone out to buy supplies’ he took a sip of his drink and then nodded at the door ‘We’re late already, it’s already an hour past sunrise’

‘I think that may be for the best’ Wanum said as he chewed on a piece of bread ‘We’re going to need all the energy we can get if we are to cross the desert soon’

‘You’re probably right’

They continued eating their breakfast and quickly paid the innkeeper when Saashi and Telarendil returned with the supplies they had bought off the merchants of the fort. They then quickly fetched their belongings and made their way out of the inn. The courtyard of the fort was now much more lively with market stalls and trading caravans presenting their wares to the travellers which strolled in and out of the fort and it’s taverns. Framir chuckled when he saw a fat Nord trying to bargain with a Khajiiti merchant who tried to sell him a brand new chestplate, which clearly didn’t fit the man. Before they walked out of hearing space he could faintly make out the words of the Khajiit, which tried to convince the man the breastplate was “bigger than it looked”

  
He chuckled again as he led his horse out of the stables, strapping part of the supplies the scholars had procured to his saddle and then scaling onto the saddle. The others did the same thing, and it didn’t take long for all of them to have gotten on their horses, starting a slow trot towards the fort’s gates.

The moment they passed the gates and started riding towards the mountain pass they increased their speed slightly into a slow gallop, speeding over the last few miles of Cyrodiil into the now independent province of Hammerfell. The region they entered was ruled by the Crowns, one of the ancient Redguard alliances made up of several kingdoms. The border guards didn’t give them too much trouble at the crossing, since there was still mostly free movement between the kingdoms of Hammerfell and the Cyrodiilic empire.

When they emerged from the Dragontail mountain range and descended down into the steppe landscape of what the Redguards called “The Corten Heights” they could already see the white sands of the Alik’r desert in the far distance, glistening at the horizon.

True to what Telarendil had said it took them two days to reach the town of Istrus on horseback. They had mostly been riding through the steppe up until that point, not encountering a lot of civilization save for the occasional fort and merchant caravan.

  
On the afternoon of the second day they had shared a meal with a merchant caravan from Rihad, that was on it’s way to Bruma with tapestries. They had gladly shared a meal with the band of scholars and warriors as both parties exchanged news about their respective regions. Apparently the prince of Rihad, a man by the name of Dinahan Al-Rihad had only recently returned from his exile in the empire as the city had been occupied during the great war. His people had not been too happy with him at first, but when they found out he’d been procuring profitable trade contracts with guilds and governments within the empire, bringing economic prosperity to the kingdom of Rihad, his cowardice during the war had been quickly forgotten as Rihad was able to come back from the brink of economic collapse.

From everything the merchants had said it became clear that Hammerfell had been hit far harder by the great war than the empire. While the empire had been able to profit off some of the provisions of the White Gold Concordat, Hammerfell had gotten a simple armistice and a retreating of Dominion troops. Except for the golden shine of the broken helmets of Aldmeri soldiers they hadn’t seen any gold coming their way since the end of the war, now only half a year ago. It was only thanks to the economic relations with the Empire that some of the kingdoms were now able to emerge from the devastation of the war.

  
The town of Istrus wasn’t very different, it had been captured by the Aldmeri Armies during the march of the Thirst when the Imperial legions attempted to retreat to the north to link up with reinforcements, and it’s people, which were officially under the rule of the kingdom of Rihad, still looked thin and exhausted from the years of war. Both Malenwen and Telarendil found that they were treated quite differently than the rest of the company as their elvish futures often resulted in angry frowns from the local population. So much so that the group decided to have their final dinner before heading out into the desert, not in the tavern, but in the large three person room that was shared between Framir, Wanum and Telarendil.

As they ate some traditional Redguard meat skewers Malenwen sighed ‘I don’t get it, I haven’t ever wronged these people, haven’t I? I’ve been a loyal citizen of the empire basically since birth’

‘Don’t pay it any mind, dear miss Thaoyiil’ Telarendil smiled sadly ‘I reckon our kind won’t be welcome here for a good while…’

‘Yeah, but still, I was born and raised in the empire for Akatosh’s sake. I defended our town against those bastards’ The frowned ‘What about you Telarendil, were you also born in the empire?’

‘No, I was not. I was born in Alinor, capital of the Summerset isles’ He chuckled ‘I’ve been away from home for decades, centuries even, leaving home before the Thalmor got so… strict. My love of history took me all over tamriel, mostly Cyrodiil, but also Morrowind, Skyrim, Black Marsh and Hammerfell’

‘Do you support them? The Thalmor?’ Wanum asked seriously ‘Considering you were born under their rule and all’

‘Well’ Telarendil sighed ‘I don’t “Oppose” them, before the war they even provided me with some protection. But they did throw this world in quite some chaos, setting back my research at the college of Whispers severely… but historians such as myself try to stay away from politics’ he sighed and suddenly seemed very sad ‘’We know how these things play out, and it rarely ends well.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Let’s just say the notion of a people believing itself superior to others holds little attraction to earnest students of history’ he chuckled ‘And might I add, probably all people with a real brain’

‘So you disagree with them?’

‘I don’t necessarily dabble in politics, government or anything like that. I’d rather see them not throwing the world into chaos, and not locking up and purging all that disagree with them, so you could say I disagree with them, yes.’ he sighed ‘But in the end they too are just people, misguided people, true, but I believe there is no such thing as absolute wrong and absolute right’ he shook his head ‘The Altmer were dissatisfied under the rule of the empire, the Thalmor threw them out. They stimulated research into our own history, gave our country a massive increase in prosperity, advanced many magical research fields, dedicated a lot of their funds to the good of the people and protected some of my early research’ he crossed his arms ‘So do I disagree with them? Yes, on a lot of their positions. But I will not deny they also did a lot of good, I am a historian, not a politician. I won’t be a judge on what is right or wrong, nor will I help the Thalmor in their current endavours. I just wish to focus on my studies, if possible’

‘I suppose that’s fair’ Wanum nodded.

‘Let’s change the subject’ Malenwen hugged her knees as she pulled up her legs ‘This makes me just sad talking about it’

They changed the subject and soon were engaged in more pleasant topics. The next morning all of them emerged from the inn dressed in light white clothes. The past few days the temperature had steadily increased to a point where Wanum and Framir had headed out last night to buy all of them some simple white clothes for their trek through the desert. The purchase of the white clothes, in addition to the renting of camels and the procuring of supplies, especially that of clean water, had cost them a small fortune and they had only been able to pay it because of Telarendil, who had taken quite some gold with them on the college’s payroll. In addition to that they saw themselves forced to sell their horses in order to afford the camels that would be required to cross the desert. Framir felt mixed about leaving his horse behind, but unfortunately the animal was in no way fit to cross a hot desert.

The next three days were pure hell as their camels slowly trotted through the sand and they tried to pass the time in the ever increasing heat by telling each other stories. Even the generally disinterested Telarendil started to listen as he got increasingly bored by the camel riding and couldn’t take out his research as the camels were too “bumpy” according to his complaining.

On the eve of the third day they approached the small oasis town of Al-Pirrah, their last stop before heading into the unknown desert. So far they had encountered a few travellers as they had followed a well known route through the desert which formed a popular route for travellers which wished to travel the desert with great speed. They did not encounter any merchant caravans as most of those chose to travel the longer, but safer, route along the southern coast of Hammerfell.

Especially Malenwen had been glad to reach the small Oasis town as the young High Elf had had the most trouble with the hot temperatures, it being her first time in the desert. All the others had been in a desert of similar heat before, even Wanum who had once carried a message across the desert of Elsweyr before the war. Malenwen had enthusiastically jumped into the large pool of water as they arrived in the cool oasis town which was built in the middle of a small palm forest.

They decided to rest at the town for one day, stocking up on supplies and cooling themselves off in the pond. Their stay at the town was pleasant if anything and the coolness of the water and the shadow provided by the trees and white buildings of the town were a welcome change. Framir saw their stay as a pleasant distraction, joining Malenwen in the cool water together with Wanum as Saashi and Plautus were procuring supplies, both expressing a strong dislike for swimming, while Telarendil had made himself comfortable in a cool room in the inn where he could work some more on translating a few scrolls.

‘This, dear friend, this, is what I meant when I said I wanted to leave the town’ Malenwen said as she floated in the water on her back, looking at Framir ‘I kind of wish we could stay here longer’

‘You and me both’ Wanum said. The Argonian warrior had relished in the water, being an amphibious race no Argonian truly enjoyed the dry desert heat and the cool water of the oasis had siginificantly improved the warrior’s mood ‘I could stay here for days, my cousin Yaxul did not exaggerate the feel of oasis water… it truly helps relax’

‘I have to admit, you guys have a point’ Framir said as he sat down on the water’s edge, completely submerged from the neck down’

‘This water is aetherial’ Malenwen sighed contently ‘Perhaps one day I’ll move to a place like this, just a small white house under a palm tree and some cool water to swim in when I want to’

‘Well, perhaps you will be buried in this region under a beautiful little hill’ Wanum said as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the water.

‘Not so negative’ Malenwen said, swimming to the edge of the water and sitting down next to Framir ‘We’ll make do, right?’

‘We’ll have to’ Framir laughed and then sighed ‘You know, I could do with some dinner’

‘Will you bring some to me here?’ Malenwen smiled seductively ‘Pleaaaase?’

‘No’ Framir laughed ‘Go and get your own’

‘Pleaaase?!’ She moved over closer to him, still smiling seductively but then burst out in laughter ‘It seems Lea trained you well, my amazing feminine charms don’t work on you’

‘Do you really want me to respond to that?’

‘You’d better not’ She chuckled and looked at Wanum who was paddling in the water with his eyes closed ‘Maybe it will work on Wanum’

‘No, bugger off’ The Argonian immediately said without opening his eyes.

‘Well’ Malenwen said as she got out of the water, wringing the water out of her wet hair ‘In that case I’ll go and get my own, you coming mr Dayne?’

‘Yeah, give me a second’

They had a pleasant dinner at the tavern consisting of some traditional redguard goat meat skewers with pepper, preserved flatbread and some rice. The small oasis village didn’t get a lot of visitors, so the food was relatively cheap and the old Redguard innkeeper was more than happy to provide them with ample food in exchange for some Imperial Septims, a very valuable currency in these parts ever since Hammerfell had become independent and it’s economy had been ravaged by the fires of war for five more years. Their stay at the oasis village was extremely pleasant, and the two nights they spent there had them rest up considerably.

On the morning after the second night all of them felt reluctant to leave the village behind, but surely and steadily they all rode out of the Al-Pirrah gate an hour after sunlight.

The next few days were once more torture as the deeper they headed into the desert, the higher the temperatures became. At some point Telarendil got so sick of the heat that he tried to combat the heat by taking off his tunic and hat, unfortunately this ended up making things worse for him as he contracted several sun-burns. They were all near their breaking point after three days, not finding the hill Saashi had mentioned, after one more day they would have to turn back to the oasis village to prevent a situation where they’d be lost without any supplies.

On the afternoon before their inevitable return Wanum, Telarendil and Malenwen were busy setting up a camp while Plautus Saashi and Framir were still looking for the hill several miles north of the camp they were setting up. They made sure none of them ever went out alone and that whenever two or more people split off from the group there would always be someone with them who knew how to navigate on the stars and sun, causing Telarendil, Plautus and Framir to often be separated as they were the only ones with some expertise with the stars.

‘What do you think, Saashi, does this look anything like the area you were at back then?’

‘Like Saashi told Dayne already, Saashi has no idea what the area looked like’

‘Well’ Plautus said with a sigh ‘Then I think we should return to our companions and head back to Al-Pirrah’

‘I’m afraid you’re right’ Framir sighed as well, squinting his eyes at the horizon ‘Yeah I don’t see anything’

They wanted to get back on their camels but before Framir had gotten back in the improvised saddle he heard Saashi call out, she had walked up on a sand dune as they were preparing the camels and was now yelling out at them ‘Saashi sees it! Saashi sees the hill!’

  
They quickly ran towards her and saw her pointing at a distant spot on the horizon ‘That’s it, this one is very sure’

‘Hmhm’ Plautus looked at Framir ‘We don’t have enough supplies to spend another day at the camp and head out tomorrow, we need to go there now’

‘We can’t just leave the others guessing where we’ve gone’

‘I never suggested that’ Plautus shook his head ‘You and Saashi go ahead, I’ll race back to camp, help pack up and then we’ll follow you. He squinted his eyes, with some luck you might be able to reach that hill within four hours, so we’ll likely be there in six. You two can do some recon of the area, we’ll set up camp there and then head into the caverns below the next morning’

‘Good idea’ Framir nodded ‘Saashi, what do you think?’

‘Eh… this one just doesn’t want her fur burned off’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect you if necessary’

‘Good, then that’s settled’ Plautus nodded and hurried to his camel ‘I’d suggest you two also hurry, the longer we take, the more we’ll have to stretch our supplies’

At that moment they parted and Framir and Saashi started riding towards the spot on the horizon. They had about six hours of sunlight left so they’d have enough time to regroup at the hill once the others had caught up.

The hill itself seemed like nothing special, it was a lone hill positioned in the middle of the desert. As they came closer they saw how the hill wasn’t made out of sand, but rather consisted out of a large rock formation which had piled up in the desert.

‘This one wonders how the hill came into existence, in the middle of the desert’

‘I wouldn’t know, Saashi’ Framir wiped some sweat off his forehead as he got off his camel at the foot of the hill ‘Do you have any idea where the cavern entrance is?’

‘Yes, Saashi knows’ the Khajiit pointed at the hillslope ‘There it is, on the hillside’

‘Damn’ Framir whistled through his teeth ‘That’s high up’

‘It is’ Saashi also got off her camel and pointed across the sky ‘Shulkunaak relies on the height for mortals not to enter his lair’

‘Sounds logical’ He studied the hillside ‘Are you ready for this?’

‘This one… is not sure... ‘

‘I get that’ Framir grinned ‘Let’s scout the area and see if we can find any tracks’

They spent a few hours walking around the hill, and when they returned to the front they saw the rest of the group approaching on camel as the sun was setting in their back ‘Hey! Guys!’

The four others spurred their camels on and within a few minutes they were together again ‘Glad to see you found the hill, excellent!’ Telarendil jumped off his camel and pat Saashi on the back ‘Do we know where the entrance is?’

‘Yes’ Framir nodded and pointed at the hillside ‘If you look closely, you can see a large notch in the hillside, that’s the cavern entrance’

‘I see’ Wanum nodded at Saashi ‘We’d better hurry to get up there then, if he hunts at night he might head out in a few hours, and no matter how much I enjoy eating it, I don’t want to become fried lizard’

‘He’s right’ Plautus nodded, squinting his eyes at the hillside ‘If there is really a dragon in there it will get out sooner or later I’d say. We’ve been in these parts of the desert for two days and haven’t seen or heard the thing at night, I don’t know how often it goes out to hunt. But the longer we wait, the bigger the chance he will come out’

‘So, we’re not going to wait for it to come to us?’ Malenwen put on a different tunic as the temperature started to drop with the sunset ‘I was counting on waiting outside, I wouldn't want to be stuck in a tunnel when that thing starts to breathe fire’

‘I would normally agree, as our best chance is trying to take it down using the spells Dayne and I can cast’ Plautus crossed his arms with a frown ‘But we’re out of time, if we spend longer than one night here we might have trouble with our supplies, so we’ll have to risk it’ he looked around ‘Is there anyone who doesn’t wish to go in? There is no shame if that’s the case, we don’t know what we’ll find in there, how it will treat us, how strong it is, et cetra’ he put his hands on his back and frowned ‘I am oathbound to go, but you are all free to wait here’

‘No, I’ll go’ Malenwen said ‘We’ve come this far through this gods forsaken desert. I’d rather die of Dragon fire than of thirst’

‘Same for me’ Wanum said with a nod.

‘Saashi will also come, perhaps this one can reason with Shulkunaak’

‘The chance to see a live dragon… very exciting, marvelous, well worth the risk’

‘Alright’ Framir strapped his sword to his belt and nodded ‘Everyone prepare yourself then, we’re heading in in ten minutes’

They didn’t need ten minutes to get ready. Within seven minutes all of them had strapped their weapons on and put on most of their protective gear and they were ready to start scaling the hill. Framir and Plautus went up front, both of them knew how to conjure up wards, something that would be essential if the dragon would suddenly attack using firebreath or any other magical offensive. After them came Malenwen and Wanum, both ready to cut up the beast if he flew over. In the back came the two scholars, both of them were unarmed save for a simple iron sword, with which none of them was properly trained.

Once they had climbed the hill and stood at the entrance of the cave system the sun had fully set and everything around them was silent, save for the sound of the wind swishing between the rocks. Framir looked at them and whispered ‘We’ll cast a magelight, don’t make too much sound, Malenwen, Wanum, draw your swords now’

After casting the magelight spells they headed into the dark tunnel. The moment they stepped in they smelled a curious scent reminiscent of burned wood and sulphur that became stronger with every step they took down into the hill. ‘Be careful, watch your feet’ Framir whispered, piercing the silence.

They kept going down into the dark, they often came across smaller side tunnels, but none of the tunnels had any wear on them and were far too small for a large dragon to pass through. The main tunnel had traces of the beast everywhere, from the routed ground to the traces of wings damaging the ceiling. Suddenly they came across a large empty cavern with several side tunnels in it’s walls.

‘Where do we go?’ Malenwen whispered after walking around in the cavern for a while and sending their magelights into all the tunnels.

‘All the tunnels have wear on them’ Plautus sighed and then looked at Saashi ‘Saashi, listen closely at each tunnel. Your Khajiit hearing might pick up something we have missed’

They walked around the open cave for a few more minutes until Saashi whispered; ‘This one hears something in this tunnel.. a deep sound, like a growl’

‘Great job, Saashi’ Framir nodded ‘Alright, let’s head in, no sudden moves if it isn’t aggressive, and don’t kill it. Remember, we are here for information, not to slay a dragon’

They headed into the tunnel and less than one minute later the others also started hearing the sound Saashi had mentioned., a deep, low growl. They threaded lightly but as they continued to walk in the now very cold and dark tunnel, they suddenly started feeling an increase in temperature as they walked ever deeper into the earth and saw an eerie red glow coming from the bottom of the tunnel.

‘Be ready’ Framir whispered as both he and Plautus conjured up wards together. Plautus’s ward was definitely stronger and had a deep blue shade, while Framir’s ward had a bright white colour, lighting up most of the tunnel. They were now very deep in the hill and the temperature started to become ever higher as they approached the deeper regions of the cave complex.

Editdesc

When they reached the bottom of the tunnel they saw a long cavern sprawl out in front of them, parts of the cavern contained large pools of hot liquid magma.

_‘So that answers Saashi’s question… this is a volcano’_ Framir wanted to speak up, but before he did he saw the creature. A large, red dragon with a large horned head lay curled up in the warmth of two magma pools. The creature was sleeping, and would have been invisible in the dark cavern if it weren’t for the glow of the magma.

Framir held up his hand, indicating to be careful as both he and Plautus let go of their wards and carefully threaded forward. The heat was suffocating causing all of them to sweat badly and made them wish they hadn’t brought their heavy combat gear.

They were getting very close to the dragon, it’s sleep rumbling was now loud in their ears, when Framir held up his hand, having them all stop. He mentioned at Plautus to stand ready. The agent nodded and stood in front of the others, next to Framir. Framir took in a deep breath and spoke up loudly ‘Shulkunaak, guide of sunlight. We require your wisdom!’

Suddenly the dragon was quiet and a stir went through it’s body, it raised it’s massive red neck, the glow of the magma reflecting on it’s scales. The beast opened it’s large mouth and eyes. Suddenly they heard a deep, thundering voice ‘Mal Jul! Who dares disturb my peace?’ the large dragon then saw the group of mortals in front of him and fixated his gaze on them ‘Speak! Volaan! Your life hangs in the balance!’

Suddenly Telarendil stepped forward ‘We are mortals from the heartlands’ he hesitated for a moment as if he tried to remember something and then spoke up again ‘Onik Dov, we seek your wisdom!’

‘Mortals you come to my lair, kril, brave’ The dragon lowered it’s large head and suddenly noticed Saashi ‘Ni her Fahdon, a mortal I recognize. Ni Onik, I told you to never return’

‘Saashi knows, oh wise Shulkunaak, but Saashi didn’t know who else to tu-’

As Saashi spoke the Dragon seemed to get ready to shower them in flames, so Framir sprung forward ‘Wait! the Sorcerer-king Celemaril has returned!’

Suddenly the dragon lowered his head even further, bringing it almost to eye level with Framir who stood in the front. It’s voice thundering in his ears ‘So… my feelings prove true… Krosis sul! I hoped this day would never come... ‘

‘We seek your help’ Framir said, unflinchingly looking in the creature’s eye closes to him ‘You are the only one who can help’

‘Very well’ Shulkunaak’s voice thundered through the chasm as he raised his head once more and spread his wings ‘Wuth hokoron kun drun, Celemaril must not achieve his goals, this lein, this world may not be destroyed just yet.’ the ancient dragon stood up on it’s rear legs ‘The sorcerer-king is immortal, killing his physical form as I and that kulaan- prince tried will not destroy him. His spirit needs to be bound’

‘With an Elder Scroll, correct?’

‘The Kel, Elder Scroll, can affect all possible futures and harness the power of creation. The sorcerer-king must be bound to the future where he fails to escape using the ancient incantation which was used to bind his spirit in the time of kulaan Valentis’ the dragon rumbled and once more lowered his head ‘Celemaril’s physical form must be weakened, destroyed and then his spirit must be bound to the Kel’

‘And, great Dragon’ Telarendil started tentatively ‘What about this incantation? Do you know how it goes?’

‘Ni- I do not’ The dragon flapped his wings, creating a strong gust in the hot cavern ‘Only kulaan, Valentis, knows the incantation’

‘Is there no other who knows the words?’ Framir asked the large beast as he tried not to be blown over by the gusts.

‘Vod Hind, no, kulaan kept it secret so that none may release his brother’ The large dragon now raised it’s head ‘You will need to find him, perhaps kulaan’s spirit will linger somewhere, Kril kendov’ the dragon flapped his wings again ‘Nii los ko, it is all I can do for you’ the dragon then bowed his head down to Framir ‘But Krin Gein’ he paused for a second ‘Our meeting iis not over’ the dragon made a low grumbling sound with his eyes focussed on Framir ‘Aav grah! Let us test ourselves against each other, member of the, hokoron- Dragonguard’

‘What?’

‘Zu’u ni mey. I did not survive this long without knowing one trained in their arts when I see them, have the dragonguard of Dovahkiin, of Reman forgotten their sworn duty as slayers of the dov!?’ the dragon raised it’s head again, spreading it’s large wings, it’s neck started to glow in anticipation of a firebreath and Plautus Immediately conjured up a strong ward to protect the group.

‘Wait! It doesn’t have to be this way!’

‘There is no evading your Heyv, your duty. Face me with honor, and let us test each other Dovdein!’

‘Run!’ Framir shouted, quickly conjuring up a ward as well.

Everyone started running back towards the entrance as the dragon let loose a powerful rain of fire which came down hard on the wards of both the spellswords. Framir felt an extremely large surge of energy being directed towards his ward, and as he was running he changed his direction, knowing he wouldn’t be able to outrun the large beast, so he’d give the others time ‘Go!’ he shouted as he suddenly stood still and then started running towards the large red beast, drawing his sword with his free hand.

He tried to remember his training at cloud ruler temple, even though dragons hadn’t been seen on Tamriel for centuries, the Blades had always upheld the ancient techniques by means of ceremony. He’d learned to use his katana to peel off the dragon’s scales with precise strikes, something which wouldn’t be possible with his short steel sword.

He didn’t look back at his comrades who fled towards the tunnels as he charged in, remembering master Abrish’s stories on the dragons, and how below their neck and on their belly the scales were far less thick. He hoped his sword would be strong enough to peel them off as he felt the energy leech from his body towards his ward. Suddenly the energy surge stopped as the massive dragon raised himself ‘You are brave! Balaan hokoron! This grah- this battle, brings me great honor!’

The dragon did exactly what Framir had wanted, it started flapping his wings, attempting to bring him off balance and then as he pretended to fall off balance, started to lower it’s neck to fry him using it’s strong fire. Unfortunately for the beast Framir had merely pretended to fall off balance and used the faked stagger to slide down under the dragon, slashing at the beast’s neck with all the strength he could muster. It worked, if only a little bit, as several of the scales got damaged and a small amount of blood started dripping from the dragon’s neck. But Framir didn’t pause as he quickly got up under the dragon’s stomach, slicing it too with his sword. He was now painfully exposed as if the dragon would drop itself on the floor he’d be crushed into a puddle, so he jumped forwards from a crouched position, jumping under the dragon’s wings, to it’s back. He used this position and the confusion of the dragon to make another cut at it’s tail. This caused the dragon to deafeningly roar in the chasm ‘Krif krin. Pruzah! I had forgotten the lot-, greatness of battle!’ the massive dragon turned it’s body, looking down on Framir and prepared to go in for another stream of fire, but before he could he was suddenly hit in the back by a large fiery explosion.

This made the dragon stagger, exactly what Framir needed as he could use the momentary confusion to go in for another attack. He wanted to dive once more to the ground to slide under the dragon’s body. But before he was able to do that he saw Malenwen’s blonde hairs coming from under the dragon, cutting up his stomach in the same fashion as Framir had done, if a bit sloppily.

‘Kul Pruzah! Brit grah! Beautiful Battle’ The dragon roared as suddenly a thundering sound came from it’s head ‘Fus Ro Dah!’

Suddenly an aetherial blue energy filled the room and blasted both Malenwen and Framir against the wall. The beast prepared for another firebreath but was stopped by two large explosions to the head this time, this time it actually impacted the creature and it roared out in excitement, turning around to face Plautus who had been the source of the fiery magic and wanted to go in for another blast of energy, but the beast now had to divide his attention, causing him to be blind to Wanum who came running from it’s side with his long and sharp steel blade raised. Wanum’s blade was of far greater quality than those the other’s had, it was a weapon the Argonian warrior was very proud of and regularly maintained himself. He used the sharp tip of his blade to puncture the dragon’s large foot, causing him to roar out in pain.

Framir had stood up by now and decided to go in for an attempt to end it. The dragon had lowered it’s head and was distracted. Framir ran with all the strength he had left, ignoring the pain in his back which had come from the impact against the cave wall. He jumped over a small magma stream, feeling the flames licking at his feet, jumping on the dragon’s neck, his blade just between his eyes and he yelled ‘It’s over!’

The dragon froze when he felt the cold tip of the sword between it’s eyes and suddenly they heard a deep laugh ‘Brit grah, Brit grah, Beautiful battle. I surrender, Gahvon’ the dragon lowered it’s head to the ground allowing Framir to jump off. Hesitantly he did so and stood in front of the beast, quickly joined by the other warriors ‘You have proven your worth. Drem wah hi. Go in peace, all of you. You have given me a beautiful battle, but none of this will have mattered until you use your strength to stop the old fool, Celemaril. Kfir voth ahkrin.’ the dragon then curled itself up again in the spot they had found it ‘Go now, Fahdon, friends’

The large dragon didn’t have to tell them again as they quickly made their way to the entrance of the cave. Just before they left the hot cavern Framir turned around ‘Thank you for your wisdom, be at peace’

They quickly ran back to the surface, not looking back at the ancient creature’s underground lair.

‘Has anyone gotten any serious wounds?’ Wanum panted in the cold night air as they ran out of the caverns.

‘Only a burn on my leg’ Malenwen said with a grimace ‘It’s nothing serious but it hurts like a bitch. What about you, Plautus?’

‘I’m fine, my ward blocked almost everthing’ the agent scratched his head ‘Some of my hair was lost in the fire but it’ll regrow. What about the civilians?’

‘We are quite fine, right, Saashi?’ Telarendil energetically nodded ‘The idea we might just have spoken to the last living dragon, it is unbelievable, absolutely marvelous! The idea I exchanged words with an actu-’

‘Saashi is quite fine’ She scratched between her ears and looked at Framir ‘But this one wonders what all that was about, did Dayne truly serve under emperor Reman?’

‘No I did not’ Framir sighed ‘I don’t really want to talk about it’

‘But I do’ Plautus said, obstructing his way down the hill ‘You are a Blade, aren’t you?’

‘Was’ Framir sighed ‘I try to forget about it, but everyone around me keeps reminding me’

The group now tense ‘So that’s what you didn’t want to tell me’ Malenwen walked towards him ‘You didn’t think I would tell anyone, did you?’

‘No’ Framir closed his eyes and sat down on the hillside ‘I wanted to keep it secret, because anyone that knows is potentially in danger, considering what the Thalmor are doing’

‘Ah’

‘It’s not very clever of you then to go on this quest’ Plautus frowned ‘If the Thalmor find out his Highness has been working with a former Blade, there will be trouble’ he put a hand on Framir’s shoulder ‘So, whatever you do, keep it secret’ he turned to the others ‘That goes for all of you, if this gets out we might save the world only to see it destroyed by the Thalmor if they decide to consider it a breach of the White Gold Concordat’

‘Thanks, and yeah, I wasn’t planning on telling anyone’ Framir sighed ‘Let’s change the subject, I really don’t want to talk about this, and we shouldn’t’

‘Agreed’ Plautus said with a nod

‘Well.. uhm.. if I may’ Telarendil started tentatively.’I have an old acquaintance, strange fellow, but very knowledgeable on anything related to spirits and aetherial transportation’ he scraped his throat ‘This is what I wish to say before Saashi so rudely interrupted me, if there is anyone who can tell us how we might be able to contact Valentis it’s her, if his spirit still lingers that is’

‘Who are we talking about?’ Framir sighed as he followed them down the hill ‘And where does this person live?’

‘Her name is Naela Greenthorn, quite a brilliant sorceress if I say so myself, nifty bosmer, helped me with some research into the second era high elves back in ‘75’ Telarendil yawned ‘She used to work for the Synod synosure in Taneth, I’m not sure what she’s up to nowadays’

‘Do we have any other options?’ Wanum asked as they reached their camels ‘I have no love for Hammerfell, and we need to get back home too’

‘Well, she’s probably the closest option we have’ Telarendil stroked his chin ‘We could also go with Breonna Geona in Daggerfall, or maybe Martin Gavinius. But Martin… well.. I suspect the Thalmor got to him’

‘Taneth it is then’ Malenwen yawned ‘But for now, let’s set up camp, I am exhausted’

‘Yeah, me too’


	7. The City of White and Glistening Blue

### The City of White and Glistening Blue

It had taken them a little over three days to get back to the Oasis town of Al-Pirrah, their supplies had proven nearly insufficient, but they made it, and once there they were able to restock. They gave themselves a day’s rest, once more making sure to rest up at the peaceful oasis with it’s white buildings and cool water and calm breeze.

By the end of their stay at the Oasis they once more climbed their camels and started riding south, towards Hammerfell’s southern coast where the city of Taneth lay at the white shores of the Abecean sea. Framir didn’t know what to expect, as it was only six months ago since the war’s end and thus much of the city was likely still in ruins.

After having spent over two weeks in the desert all of them had gotten quite used to the desert heat, even the Argonian Wanum had seemingly gotten a bit used to it as he didn’t complain half as much as before. However, that did not mean that they were not all glad once the glistening shores of the Abecean sea came in to view and they started to feel the salty sea breeze on their faces. The perspective of the cool sea breeze and travelling by the shore put them all in a good mood. Once reaching the shore they still had about a day’s ride to go to the west before they would reach the city of Taneth. But by reaching the shore they were once more threading on well travelled roads, causing them to once again encounter many merchant caravans and even some guard patrols which guarded the valuables the many merchants were carrying.

When at around four pm of the next day they could see the high white walls of Taneth on the horizon they sped up slightly, spurring their camels on with the promise of a calm night’s rest within the city’s walls. It took them considerably longer than expected to get to the city as strong winds started blowing from the west half way through the day, slowing their steeds. But when they arrived at the city several hours past sunset they found that, like the imperial city, this city never seemed to sleep. Countless people were still out and about now that the heat of the day had subsided, relaxing in taverns, praising their wares, presenting their musical talent or just casually strolling about.

While the city had definitely seen the fire’s of war, it’s people were relatively prosperous, as the large port city with it’s white walls, high towers, white buildings and the glistening blue of the sea saw a lot of the trade that went in and out of Hammerfell go through it’s port. So while the scars of war were still very visible in the form of ruined buildings every so often next to the streets that led through the ancient city, it’s people seemed happy enough. They decided to search for Telarendil’s acquaintance the next day, choosing to relax at a small inn at a narrow alley which branched from the main street.

They were all in a good mood as they had a cheap late dinner consisting of traditional spiced Redguard flatbread and rice. They couldn’t afford an expensive dinner, but after having lived on preserved food since they had left the oasis of Al-Pirrah the fresh flatbread tasted like a meal fit for kings.

The next morning Framir was the first one awake, he was having a small breakfast consisting of more Redguard flatbread and some tea at a table in the back of the small tavern hall of the inn. The entire building was made out of sandstone and traditionally decorated with several Redguard tapestries, candles and incense burners. He was just about to take his second bite out of the bread when he saw Telarendil descend from the stairs leading to the inn’s rooms, he seemed a bit nervous, which was uncharacteristic of him.

‘Ah, mr Pure-Wish, I see you are awake, excellent! Did you have a good rest?’

‘Well enough, I can’t get used to the incense though’

‘Ah yes’ The scholar twiddled with his thumbs ‘I am sympathetic to the problem, my nostrils have never felt quite so…. exhausted.. maybe safe for that one time when I had to descend into a la- nevermind’

Framir studied the scholar as he was ordering breakfast and Framir came to the realisation he’d been acting strangely and getting increasingly nervous ever since suggesting they’d visit his acquaintance. Framir slowly chewed on his own bread ‘Say, Telarendil, you do know where this Naela lives, correct?’

‘Eh, uhm, what? Uh, yes’ The scholar twiddled his thumbs ‘Finding her won’t be a problem I think’

‘So then why are you acting so nervously? You said she was a friend, right?’

‘Friend? Did I say friend?’ The scholar laughed nervously ‘Well, I remember saying acquaintance. She and I, we know each other quite well, she’s a brilliant researcher indeed and will most likely be able to help us’ he paused as he received his breakfast and then looked at Framir again ‘While she and I used to have an excellent, no I’d even say marvelous, working relationship I am afraid things have turned quite sour between us.. let’s say 43 years ago?’

‘Oh no’ Framir sighed ‘What did you not tell us?’

‘Nothing, nothing, there is most likely nothing to worry about dear friend’ Telarendil scratched his head as he seemed to think ‘It’s been over 40 years, I doubt she even remembers I.. uhm.. accidentally locked her up in that tomb’

‘

‘I’m sorry, you did what?’

‘It wasn’t too bad really, and fully justified if I say so myself, it served her right at the time’

‘You don’t lock someone up in a tomb for Stendarr’s sake!’

‘Mr Pure-Wish, I insist, I had the fullest intention of getting her out again in a few hours! I just needed some alone time’

‘But why did you do it in the first place, and the use of the word “Intention” makes me believe it took quite longer than a few hours’

‘Well, you see, Naela and myself, we were conducting some highly interesting research, I’d say highly and unusually thought-provoking research in an Ayleid tomb in the blackwood back in ‘137. We were researching an ancient Ayleid summoning ritual used in the region, our research started back in the ruins of the Ayleid settlement of Welke. We foun-’

‘Skip to the tomb part’

‘Right, right’ Telarendil took a nervous sip of his tea and then put his cup back down ‘Naela kept insisting she had a theory and just kept nagging to me about it, I kid you not mr Pure-Wish, there was not a single moment I could study the runes I copied in peace. So what I did was, I told her I found something extraordinary… or did I use the word exceptional.. doesn’t matter. Anyway I told her to go and look in a small tomb we hadn’t explored yet, when she went in, I closed the heavy stone door behind her and went to study my runes in peace’ Telarendil nervously laughed ‘But something I did not realise is that this ancient Ayleid door… well.. it was designed to only be closed by hand and then opened with an incantation. And you see, our guide, who knew the incantation, had just started riding towards Leyawiin for supplies.’

‘How long was she in that tomb?’

‘Is it really important, I mean it is in the past and such a lo-...Two and a half days’

‘By Martin’ Framir sighed ‘Have you spoken to her since?’

‘Well uhm, I tried, but she wouldn’t understand and then started shooting firebolts at me, so I had to run, you see’ He stroked his chin ‘Since then… well… I heard from my acquaintances in the college, just one year before the war broke out, that she had relocated to Taneth’

‘By the gods, will she even help?’

‘I am not sure, but she is the only viable option’

It didn’t take long for the others to join them at breakfast, forcing Telarendil to repeat the story twice for everyone to have heard it. By the end everyone was quite annoyed with Telarendil. His story had gotten mixed reactions, from Malewen and Saashi being outraged to Wanum patting Telarendil on the shoulder as he’d burst out in laughter and Plautus simply sighing ‘And here I thought our stay here would be easy’

‘Yes yes, I can’t change the past’ Telarendil said with an annoyed frown ‘I’m pretty sure I’d never do it again, but that won’t help here I’m afraid. In fact we need her help, so all we can do is hope for the best’

‘Maybe you should buy her flowers, and hide your face behind it long enough for us to ask her help’ Wanum said as he was still chuckling ‘Maybe we shouldn’t take you with us at all and just leave you here’

‘Oh no, most definitely not my dear Argonian, Naela doesn’t often open her door to visitors. She might at least peek out when she hears my voice’

‘And then drop something out of her window on our heads, you mean?’

‘Well, one must never be pessimistic’ The elf scholar said with a slight smile ‘We will never know until we try’

Little more than an hour later the group was moving through the busy city, as the temperatures were warming up a lot of the market stalls were closing up their business for a break in the hottest part of the day, only to reopen again at the end of the afternoon. They were walking over a busy market square towards an old house which stood in the shadows of one of the towers of the ancient palace of Taneth, from where the Forebear king of the small kingdom ruled the city and it’s surrounding lands. The house itself, be it old, stood in a prime location and was built entirely out of white painted sandstone and had a small balcony.

Malenwen pointed at the balcony ‘She might actually drop something on us’

‘Have some optimism miss Thaoyiil’ Telarendil said as he quickly walked towards the door. He looked at them and then back at the door, taking in a deep breath. He then knocked on the door forcefully. After a few seconds the door was opened by a Redguard woman in white clothes ‘Yes?’

‘Ah, hello, my dear lady’ Telarendil started ‘We are looking for the socereress Naela Greenthorn, is she at home?’

‘Miss Greenthorn is not receiving visitors’

‘Oh uhm, well’ Telarendil twiddled his thumbs ‘Tell her it’s an old friend’

‘Who would like to make an apology’ Malenwen quickly added before the girl closed the door.

Telarendil turned around with an annoyed frown ‘miss Thaoyill, I have no inte-’

The door opened, and beside it stood an older bosmer woman. For human standards she looked like she was in her late 50’s, but it was more likely she was somewhere around her second or third century. She had long grey hair, dark eyes and was wearing an elaborate blue robe. She raised a brow when she saw the group in front of her doorstep ‘I’m sorry, can I he-’ she then saw Telarendil as he turned his head back at the door and an angry frown came over her face. She wanted to slam the door shut, but Telarendil stopped her by putting his foot in front of it, a painful grimace came over the scholar’s face as the door hit his toes ‘Naela wait, we need your help’

‘Tela, take your foot away from my door, or by Yffre I will make sure there is nothing left of you to write home about’

‘Listen Nael-’

‘Three, Two’

‘Wait, miss Greenthorn’ Framir stepped in ‘We really do need your help’

‘I’m sorry, but so did I when this man trapped me in a tomb’ She looked at Framir with an angry expression ‘Do you have any idea what this man did to me?’

‘Yes, we do ma’am’ Malenwen stepped forward now ‘He told us this morning, and all of us are very disturbed by it, but the situation we are in calls for your help, and you may be the only one who can help’

The Bosmer sorceress sighed deeply and looked at Framir, ignoring the grunts of pain that came from Telarendil as she pushed the door harder on his feet ‘What do you want?’

‘It’s a long story, but in short, an ancient Ayleid lich… or undead.. has returned to Cyrodiil, we are trying to bind it but we need a way to potentially communicate with a lingering spirit to find out how. If we don’t the lich.. or whatever form it has taken.. will try and overrun this world with undead’

‘Hmhm’ The Bosmer, still trying to hurt Telarendil using her door, now softened slightly and nodded ‘I think I can help you’ she looked at Framir and Malenwen ‘You two may enter, but this miserable being stays outside’

‘Naela, come on, le-’

‘Don’t make me repeat myself Tela, I will burn you to a crisp’

‘Alright, alright, I will wait outside then, than-’

‘Shut up’ Naela looked at Framir and Malenwen ‘Please, come in’

‘Wait, miss Greenthorn, maybe it’s wise for us to bring our scholar Saashi, she knows a lot more about Ayleid matters than we do’

‘Alright, please, come in. I’ll have Imane make some tea for you three’ She looked at Wanum and Plautus ‘I am sorry, my living room is quite small, that’s what one gets when living in a prime location so close to the palace’ she chuckled a bit ‘Perhaps you two good gentlemen can do something about this little cockroach infestation I have on my doorstep’ she said alluding to Telarendil.

‘Thank you for your help Ma’am’ Plautus said respectfully ‘We will make sure our… acquaintance… will no longer bother you’

‘Ah, such fine gentlemen’

‘We’ll be waiting for you at the tavern’ Wanum nodded at Framir and then whispered ‘Good luck’

Framir, Malenwen and Saashi stepped into the hallway of the bosmer sorceress and she closed the door behind them ‘Please follow me, I am sorry for the bitter greeting’ she sighed angrily ‘Tela and I… we have our history, but after someone locked you up in a tomb twice you are rightfully angry with someone’

‘I’m sorry, twice?!’ Malenwen said with a surprised frown ‘He only told us about the one time at Welke’

‘Ah, that’s him, alright, but that is not important now’ Naela sighed as she opened the door to her living room, which was small but luxuriously decorated with soft embroidered chairs and a small sofa next to a fireplace. The entire room was filled with bookcases and glass cabinets with strange but valuable looking objects in them. A small tea table inlaid with silver stood in the middle and the Redguard maid, Imane came in ‘I heard you wanted tea for the guests, miss Greenthorn?’

‘Ah yes, thank you Imane, and some fruit please I am quite hungry’ The old bosmer looked at them ‘What about you?’

‘If it isn’t too much… Saashi is quite hungry’

‘Well, the hospitality of my home is great so, Imane, bring enough fruit for all of us please’

‘Of course, madam’

The Bosmer then sat down on the sofa, and pointed them to the chairs and the spot next to her on the sofa. Malenwen and Framir sat down in the chairs as Saashi sat down next to the sorceress, after introducing themselves properly Naela looked around the room ‘So, what can I help you with? You told me something about an Ayleid spirit, but to be quite frank with you, I was more focussed on making sure my door would break Tela’s toes. Please, tell me what is going on, and give me the long version. If I am to help you with Ayleid matters, even the least important details could matter’

They did what the Bosmer asked and started explaining their situation. It took them over two hours to tell Naela the entire story as the sorceress would often interject with questions. They ended up telling her almost everything, only leaving out their interactions with the dragon in order to keep his existence a secret. By the end of their explanation they had long finished their tea and the assortment of fruits Imane had brought in and Naela had asked for several tea refills over the course of the story.

As they finished answering her last question she frowned ‘Well, you are correct in your assessment that this situation has the potential to turn out quite grave. And as I said before’ she looked at Framir ‘It is my speculation that the thing you saw in the tomb of Valentis could indeed be his lingering spirit. If the actions you described are the exact things the potential spirit did, then there is very little chance it was some ancient tomb mechanism but rather the lingering spirit of Valentis trying to help you stop his brother’ she pinched her two index fingers together in deep thought ‘It is very curious through… why hasn’t his spirit appeared to any of the other researchers… but only to you… quite a mystery indeed’ she looked at Saashi ‘After all this, what is your opinion?’

‘Saashi doesn’t know… this one is definitely convinced it could have been Valentis’ spirit, but this one is also puzzled by the circumstances’

‘Indeed’ Naela took another cup of tea from her servant Imane and then seemed to get an idea ‘Wait, I have something which could be helpful to you’ she quickly stood up ‘Give me one second to get it from my laboratory’ she returned a few minutes later with a small box which she handed to Framir ‘Here in this box is an amulet, if you hold it you may or may not be able to communicate with lingering spirits… with that I mean that if the spirit or your connection to it is not strong enough, it will not work’ she sat down again and pinched her fingers together ‘But, since you are the only one who has seen the spirit so far it is likely you will be able to use it, if I am not mistaken. I recommend returning to that tomb and trying to visit the burial chamber again, perhaps it will work’ she frowned ‘I know that you did not come for a ‘perhaps’, but when working with spirits there is unfortunately quite a large margin of error. I am quite sure this will work, but until it has worked, one never knows for certain’

‘Thank you, miss Greenthorn’ Framir bowed his head ‘Is there any way we can repay you for your help?’

‘No recompense needed’ She waved his offer away as she took a sip of her tea ‘Just be sure to bring back the amulet, while I have quite some funds it is still quite valuable and I’d rather not lose it’

‘We will’ Framir nodded ‘If we survive all this that is’

‘That’s all I needed to hear’ Naela smiled ‘Now we still have some tea left, so is there anything else you wish to discuss?’

‘Not really’ Malenwen shook her head ‘But I do wonder, are you never harassed in the city? Myself and Telarendil have constantly been derogated just because we are elves, and yet you live here in the middle of the city, in a very nice house’

‘Well’ Naela thoughtfully stirred her tea ‘I have worked for the royal family of the city as their court wizard for quite some time now and have helped cure hundreds of citizens in the first two months before the war as there was a severe rattles epidemic going on in the area as the soldiers retreated’ she shrugged ‘And during the occupation I was one of the few people in the city whom our Thalmor governor would listen to if the people had needs’ she chuckled ‘The people seem to have realized by now that they need me, and that I’m on their side, so they mostly leave me alone’

‘That is good to hear’ Malenwen sighed ‘I have to admit, I’m impressed’

‘Why thank you’ Naela smiled ‘You were raised in Cyrodiil, correct?’

They spoke to Naela for another half hour about themselves, and they learned that she was currently working on a project related to the ancient Dwemer city of Volenfell, it was a bit out of her expertise but she hypothesised that while the Dwemer were gone, she might be able to bring some of their spirits back. But these incantations were still far from complete, and according to her own words wouldn’t be complete for at least another decade.

After they finished their tea they headed out, thanking Naela for her hospitality and promised again to bring back the amulet if they ever had the chance. They then made their way back to the inn where they found a healer trying to negate the damage that had been done to Telarendil’s foot while Wanum and Plautus were calmly drinking some Redguard wine as they came in.

When Wanum saw them enter he motioned for them to join them at the table ‘So, how was it?’

‘Quite nice actually’ Malenwen chuckled ‘The moment Telarendil was out of her sight she was actually very nice and helpful’ she looked at Telarendil who was sitting on a bench on the other side of the tavern hall ‘He really is a dick apparently’

‘Is there any surprise in that?’ Plautus said calmly with a stoic expression as he took a sip of his wine ‘It’s not like he’s been particularly polite so far, but that is beside the point, did you learn something?’

‘We did’ Saashi nodded, calling Telarendil over. Once the scholar had come over they told the group everything they had learned from the bosmer sorceress also showing them the box containing the amulet. Framir now opened the box for the first time and saw that the amulet was shaped in the form of a bird’s beak and was made entirely out of ivory. Telarendil showed great interest in the amulet and confirmed what Naela had told them. While it looked like nothing but a cheap souvenir, it was in fact very valuable and had an extremely rare enchantment on it. This enchantment was only known by a select few on the continent and cost a great amount of energy to imbue, making it so that the value of the thing was very high.

‘Alright’ Plautus broke the silence that had started the moment they had finished with their story ‘I propose we leave tomorrow morning, sell our camels, buy new horses and follow the coastline down to Rihad, there we will cross the border into Cyrodiil at fort Sutch. From there we will follow the road and go straight to the ruins of Narfinsel’ he nodded at Framir ‘There you try to use that amulet, and if it doesn’t work I say we try and bring that Elder Scroll to safety in the Imperial City vaults, for all we know we might be running out of time and queen Urzoga’s castle might be breached. The imperial city can endure a long siege if need be, we can try and vy for time there as we look for another solution?’

‘Sounds good’ Wanum nodded ‘But let’s hope that amulet will work’

‘Oh it will, my dear Argonian’ Said Telarendil as he shifted in his chair in excitement ‘It will’

After discussing some more technicalities they ordered dinner and Telarendil returned to his healer, who’d have to make sure he would be fit for travel the following morning. After dinner most of them went to their rooms, hoping to get as much rest as possible, knowing the days ahead would once more be stressful and tiring. Framir and Wanum had gone out to sell their camels, they ended up finding a merchant caravan who was willing to trade their camels for horses as they were planning on crossing the desert soon, making it so they had the horses required to make the trek to Cyrodiil, it would be a long and arduous journey none of them were particularly looking forward to.

After having dealt with all the paperwork regarding the horses Framir and Wanum also returned to the inn, where they now saw that Telarendil’s healer had gone and then found the High Elf scholar sleeping in their shared room.

‘All ready, it seems’ Framir whispered to Wanum as they changed for bed.

‘Quite so, I wonder how much time we have left’

‘So do I, let’s just hope it works’

‘Indeed, I’m not looking forward to the alternative’

‘Me neither’

They both laid down on their beds and went to sleep. It took a while for Framir to fall asleep, but eventually he did. That night the nightmares would return, and he wouldn’t get much rest. But that is something he didn’t know yet in the final minutes before sleep would take him.

_He tried to use his hand to prevent the toxic fumes of burning paint from entering his mouth and nostrils. He didn’t try to think about what had been his entire world since being selected being engulfed by flames. He only had one goal, stop the hooded figure which attempted to escape the edge of his long katana by running through the flames._

_He saw the figure ahead, running away from the archives where it’s comrades had just fallen by the courtesy of his blade. He attempted to ignore the anger and rather focus as he pursued the shadow through the burning halls of Cloud Ruler temple. He slowly caught up to the figure, which seemed to fall over and cough, likely poisoned by the toxic fumes coming from the walls._

_Framir ran towards the hooded elf before he could stand up and pieced his back with his blade._

_“Good” Framir thought “Now to get out of here”_

_He ran towards where he knew the front gates of the temple should be, but heard a raspy voice behind him, coming from the body of the elf he’d just killed ‘You lost, you can strike me down, but you’ve lost. And soon, you will lose everything’_

_‘No! Not as long as I live’ He turned around but suddenly the flames were gone, and all he saw was a dark shade in front of him, formless, but present. The shade suddenly exploded in a white flash, and suddenly he saw mountains all around him. The scenery was not familiar to him, his heart rate slowed and he blinked, trying to study the scenery around him. But before he could, the skies turned dark, there was a flash of lightning and the scenery changed again. Now he stood in a large tent, the chill of Skyrim’s winter entered the tent which was only being warmed by two fiery braziers._

_In the middle of the braziers sat the emperor who was talking with his generals. None of the men seemed to have noticed him and he listened to their conversation. They were planning for the battle of the Red Ring. Just before he could hear one general explain how they would provide rafts to cross the lake the emperor looked up, looking him straight in the eyes. His voice was strangely dilated when he opened his mouth ‘Framir, come to me’_

_He stepped forward, but before he could he suddenly felt a surge of energy behind him. As he looked his surroundings had shifted again, gone was the tent and Skyrim’s harsh winter. Now he looked at the Oasis of Al-Pirrah, but instead of the calm and peaceful place he remembered it to be he saw bodies littered around the pond._

_‘No!’ he screamed as he saw Lea and Henrik fighting a group of undead wights. Henrik’s sword was smashed out of his hand, but just before he could see the two figures being impaled by the weapons of the undead he woke up._

He felt that his entire body was covered in sweat and his hands were shaking. He tried to relax himself as he looked at the sleeping figures of Wanum and Telarendil. ‘It was just a dream’ he whispered ‘It wasn’t them’


	8. Voice of Ancient Knowledge

### Voice of Ancient Knowledge

The Dragontail mountains and the deserts beyond it lay long behind them as they spurred their horses on. They had just left the city of Skingrad where they had spent the night and had now started to follow the road to the north towards the ruins of Narfinsel. If they hastened themselves they would reach the ancient ruins before nightfall so they would be able to take refuge in the ruins.

The citizens of Skingrad had told them that in the past few weeks the undead attacks had become much more frequent in the area as the problems were spreading northward, Leyawiin, Bravil and Skingrad had all ordered curfews on their citizens and closed the gates after nightfall. The villages between them had been advised to keep their doors closed at night and their lights turned off if they did not have walls, and build wooden palissades around their town limits. The Imperial Legion had now been much more massively deployed as several legions had been tasked to help protect the villages in the region as the problem worsened. This news had led them to employ even greater haste as they undertook the final stretch of the journey to Narfinsel.

An hour before sunset they diverted from the road, taking their horses by the leash, making their way to the ruins in the forest. It had surprised all of them that the journey to Cyrodiil had gone so smoothly, they’d had to deal with a few bandits along the way to the border crossing, but after crossing into the imperial province they hadn’t had any major trouble save for a few lone vagabonds.

‘There it is, those are the ruins, Saashi sees them’ Saashi started walking faster ‘Quickly, let’s head in before the sun has set’

‘Sounds like a plan’ Framir nodded and within fifteen minutes the group had approached the ancient white ruins. The doors to the ruin were sealed, but luckily Telarendil knew the incantation required to open them. They quickly headed inside into the ancient Ayleid halls bringing their horses in with them, closing the doors behind them.

Both Plautus and Framir cast their magelights and Malenwen quickly lit a torch they had brought from Skingrad. Malenwen looked around ‘So, where do we go?’

‘The tomb of Valentis is located in the third level of the catacombs’ Telarendil said as he studied the stone ‘I don’t expect to find any of my colleagues there anymore as everyone headed off after Saashi and I headed for fort Ontus, but perhaps they at least left the path cleared of rubble’

They left their horses in the entrance hall, the animals seemed nervous and not at all at ease with the fact they were led into the dark underground city. One of their horses had been particularly restless and had neighed loudly for several minutes until Malenwen and Framir had been able to calm the unruly animal together. Luckily for them the horses were tired after the long day on the road and thus, after a while, the animals all calmed down and found themselves a place to sleep in the ruins.

Framir looked at the horses with a worried frown ‘Finally, they’ve all gone to sleep’ he then looked at the others ‘Let’s head in, and try to make it quick’ they all agreed and followed him into the depths of the ruins.

Telarendil, Saashi and Framir had gotten to know the way well during the excavation, so they were able to move quickly and hastily descend down to the lower levels. When they entered the catacombs after about half an hour of wandering in the dark Framir motioned them all to be quiet ‘I think I hear something’ he looked at Saashi ‘Do you hear it too?’

‘Yes’ Saashi said slowly ‘Saashi hears something in the catacombs’

‘Can you tell what it is?’

‘Yes’ Saashi grimaced ‘These are the same creatures that were fought in the tomb of the Sorcerer-King, beneath the village’

‘Wights’ Framir frowned ‘Everyone draw your weapons, Saashi, Telarendil in the middle, everyone else protect them, Plautus you go in the rear’

They slowly walked deeper into the ruined catacombs with their weapons drawn. They did not come across any wights in the first and second level, but as soon as they came to the stairs leading deeper into the ancient catacombs they could hear the undead below, loud and clear.

‘Saashi, Telarendil, stay here.’ Framir whispered ‘Plautus, protect them from anything that may come from the higher levels.’ The agent nodded, increasing the brightness of his magelight. Framir motioned at Wanum and Malenwen ‘You two, with me, let’s see if we can take them on the stairs, from here we’ve got the high ground’

They carefully walked down the stairs, listening to the sounds below. Framir’s magelight now started lighting up the entrance to the third level, and suddenly they heard movement ‘Forward! They saw the light!’

The three of them quickly sprinted forward down the stairs, they were about halfway when they saw the first wights approach from the bottom of the staircase ‘Let’s hold them on the stairs here!’ Framir formed a kinetic energy bolt in his left hand as the three of them descended the wide staircase. Once the wights started coming close he released the spell with a loud bang which vibrated through the entire staircase, causing dust to fall off the ceiling. But the wights had not anticipated the enormous force which hit them. Of the eleven wights that had climbed onto the staircase almost all of them fell over due to the concentrated force. This gave the three warriors the opportunity to quickly finish off several of them in a few puncturing strikes through their ancient skulls. The wights were all clad in decaying, but still thick, ceremonial Ayleid burial plate armor, causing them to be well protected against strikes to their bodies.

Unfortunately for them there were far too many wights to finish off as by the time each of them had been able to take down about three the others were standing up and more were coming through the gates of the third level. Framir felt that his energy was waning, having poured far too much strength in the kinetic force he was forced to slightly dim his magelight as the three warriors prepared themselves on the stairs for the incoming creatures.

Wanum took a small step back ‘There’s too many, we need to fall back’

‘No!’ Framir stared intensely at the approaching wights ‘The stairs are narrow enough for them not to surround us, just keep fighti-’ he couldn’t finish his sentence because the group of wights had now reached them, locking them in battle.

It took all their energy and strength to fight the creatures, wave after wave of the undead emerged from the gates below, slowly driving them back up towards the second level. After over half an hour, all of them were tired, but a large group of wights remained.

‘How in Arkay’s name-’ Framir blocked an incoming strike and quickly relieved a wight’s body of it’s head ‘How are there so many!?’

‘I don’t know’ Malenwen seemed nearly out of breath as she blocked two consecutive strikes ‘Maybe-’ she parried an elven war axe ‘Maybe they’re coming from even further below!’

Wanum finished off one of the creatures and spit on the ground ‘Can any of you see whether more are entering?!’

Framir concentrated on the darkness below the rows of undead ‘I don’t think so, bu-’ he kicked one of the creatures in the knees, causing it to collapse into a state where it could be easily finished of ‘but it’s hard to see’

‘Guys, I-’ Malenwen attempted to stick her sword in the neck of an approaching wight ‘I don’t think I can go on much longer’

‘We’ve got to turn back!’ Wanum huffed, ‘There’s too many of them!’

‘You’re ri-’ Framir had to jump back to evade a strike ‘You’re right! Malenwen, warn the others, have Plautus shoot an explosion at the stairs the moment we have ran out, Wanum and I will hold them for a little longer’

‘Yeah sure, Wanum and I will hol-’ Wanum smashed the sword of a wight out of it’s lifeless undead hands ‘Just fucking go!’

Malenwen ran up the stairs and a few seconds later they heard her yell ‘Come!’

Wanum and Framir both tried to kick the wights in front of them off balance and then started running up the stairs. It wasn’t a long run, as the creatures had pushed them up slowly but steadily’ When they entered the large dark hall which formed the second level of tombs they saw Saashi and Telarendil run across the long stretched hall in the distance, towards the stairs leading to the first level with Malenwen in the front to protect them. They saw Plautus stand a few meters away from the door with an intense orange glow in his right hand and a strong blue light coming from his left. Wanum and Framir both immediately went left and right of the doorway giving access to the stairs, clearing the way for Plautus to fire.

Plautus released the spells from his hand and from the corner of his eyes Framir saw how an orange firebolt, flaming bright with energy was launched towards the door, followed by a blinding blue flash. Half a second later he heard the sound of a mighty fire explosion, followed by a strange almost wind like sound.

‘Run!’ They heard Plautus yell as he himself also started running towards the second level, the stairs to which were about a hundred meters away. Both Wanum and Framir manoeuvred their way through the rows of ancient caskets and joined Plautus in the middle of the large catacomb hall. The massive fire which had started in the staircase below gave them some light to navigate on, but the moving shadows and clinking of metal behind them indicated that they were being followed ‘Back to the stairs!’ Plautus yelled as he fired another explosion behind them, leaving the grunts of dying wights in his wake.

When they approached the doors to the next staircase they saw Malenwen panting, leaning on her sword but getting up as soon as they came closer ‘Get on the stairs! We can hold them there, these stairs are narrower!’

As the others ran onto the stairs Framir looked into the large hall. He saw a group of dark silhouettes in the light of the fire coming their way. In the quick moment he could look he counted at least another twenty before heading up to the stairs. These stairs were narrow enough for two people to hold them, leading to Wanum and Plautus fighting in the front as Malenwen and Framir stood at their backs, waiting to relieve them the moment things would go sour. They were all tired, and the fighting went on for at least another hour. Malenwen had sustained three bad cuts on her right leg causing her to be disabled out of combat while Wanum had gotten a painful strike into his gut. The wound wasn’t deep, but had to be treated quickly.

Fortunately, luck was finally on their side as an end to the hordes of undead came in sight. No new wights seemed to be joining their undead kin on the stairs, which left the final group of seven creatures to Plautus and Framir as the wounded Wanum and Malenwen fled towards the next level. Despite their exhaustion Framir and Plautus were able to finish off the final seven wights while they themselves were also being driven up the stairs again. It took them all their energy, but after the final few creatures were slain everything in the catacombs went silent save for the vague crisping of the fire below.

Both Framir and Plautus were exhausted beyond belief despite both having consumed two of Lea’s stamina restoration potions Saashi had recovered from Malenwen’s pack. Breathing heavily they made their way up to the first level as quickly as they could and found both Wanum and Malenwen being treated by Saashi and Telarendil who were applying potions to their wounds. Framir let out a gasp of relief and quickly opened his own pack to help them with the potions Lea had made for them. Luckily, the combined potion stash of Framir and Malenwen proved more than enough to treat the wounds.

‘That fire will go on for at least another hour, so we won’t be able to progress into the third level’ Plautus panted and sat down ‘By the gods I thought we would never see the end of it’

‘Me too’ Wanum grimaced as Saashi applied some strong healing potion to his wound ‘I thought we were done for, where in oblivion did those things come from?!’

‘They are not from here’ Telarendil said as he carefully treated Malenwen’s leg ‘If you look on the floor here, you can see the marks of something moving into the tombs, in addition to that, all the caskets here are closed. Someone, or something sent these in order to keep people away from the third level of the catacombs’

‘Well, we cleared the way’ Framir said as he laid down in exhaustion ‘We should move into the crypt as soon as we can, let’s see what’s left over of the college base camp and then head to Valentis’ tomb’

‘You are right’ Malenwen tried to stretch her leg as the potion was starting to take its effect and the wounds slowly healed ‘After our wounds are closed we should move in, for now, let’s rest a bit, okay?’

‘Yeah, let’s’ Framir sat down and closed his eyes ‘We should try to get some sleep, I’m exhausted’ he looked at Saashi ‘Wake us when the fire has subsided, okay?’ Saashi nodded, and soon he’d fallen into a deep sleep.

_It had been exactly eight days since the Imperial city had been retaken. After the assault Framir had joined the celebrations for a while, but had soon slipped out of the city with one of his knights, Tyr, who had been key in the city’s retaking. They had headed back to their safehouse in the Rift, to inform the remaining Blades on the victory, and to make plans to relocate themselves back to the Imperial City for the coming assaults to drive the Aldmeri armies out of Cyrodiil, as they had been able to reestablish contact with several outposts that had survived the Thalmor onslaught. They were now in a position to once again help the war effort and would hopefully soon have the chance to do so._

_Framir was sitting with some of the knights, planning their next moves. In three days a group of Blades knights and agents from Hammerfell would join them, after which they could begin their trek down south. They were going over the final details of the logistics when suddenly there was a quick knock on the door._

_‘Come in’_

_The knights and agents around the table subsided for the knocker, who they now all saw was an agent in Penitus Oculatus uniform ‘Hail, grandmaster, I bring a message’ the agent bowed slightly and then fetched a sealed scroll from his inner pocket_

_‘Welcome, agent’ Framir stood up and took the scroll, breaking the Imperial seal ‘Thank you’ he unrolled the scroll and saw that the message on it had been written extremely quickly and sloppy, as if it’s author was trying to write discretely and with great haste._

_“Raven,_

_I hope this message reaches you in time,_

_I have consulted with the generals, and they have told me that we cannot fight on. The forces we have left are not enough to drive out the Aldmeri forces in Cyrodiil. They have advised me to negotiate, as we are now in a position of strength._

_I have been reported that the Aldmeri High Command is unaware of our dire position._

_So I have decided to take their advice._

_Ambassador Nurilon is willing to offer generous war reparations and a full retreat of Aldmeri forces in Cyrodiil if the original Aldmeri demands are met. I will take this offer._

_The treaty will be signed seven days from now._

_I will try to stall them as long as I can, but they will soon come for you._

_I am sorry._

_-T”_

_Framir felt his heart sink in his chest when he read the final sentences and looked up ‘We need to get out of here, now’_

_‘What? Why?!’ Tyr frowned ‘What does the message say?’_

_Framir handed the letter to him, after which Tyr read the words out loud and then swore ‘Fuck, he has betrayed us’_

_A cacophony of voices erupted around him as all members gathered in the room started to either panic or swear. Framir slowly stood up and breathed in ‘Silence’ he calmly said, after which everyone in the room looked at him, he turned his attention to the messenger ‘How long ago did you depart from the city?’_

_‘Six days, sir’_

_Framir sighed ‘Then we have no choice, Tyr, gather everyone, now, we’ll ride in an hour’_

_‘We can’t ju-’_

_He held up his hand ‘Not now, we need to get as far away from here as possible. I know a place’_

_Tyr shook his head ‘No, no no no, we can’t just run’ he looked at Framir ‘The men in fort Alessia’ he looked at the messenger ‘Did they also receive a warning like this?’_

_‘I have not been informed on the content of the message prior to this meeting’ the agent said ‘But I am unaware of any agents being sent out to the fort’_

_‘Fuck’ Tyr looked at Framir ‘We have to get them out, the Thalmor will get to them first’_

_Framir felt torn but then quickly made a decision ‘You are right, we need to warn the others as well if they have not been warned, take ten knights and ride for the fort. Maybe you will get there in time’_

_‘Thank you’ Tyr nodded ‘Where do we link up?’_

_‘We won’t’ Framir shook his head and then looked around the room, which contained most of the high ranking Blades members that were left from the original group at Cloud Ruler Temple, and those groups that had since linked up ‘We will send out small groups of knights from here to the different outposts, each will try to warn as many as we can, from that point each group needs to get to safety….’ he sighed deeply ‘I realise this sounds like abandoning one another, but it will not be, as not knowing of one another’s whereabouts will mean that if those bastards catch one of us, the others will be safe’ he looked around the room again ‘Try to bring as many to safety as you can, and when your group is safe, find places for members to hide. Individually, not as a group. Do not stay in contact, do not attempt to find each other. That, is my last order, and I need all of you to pass it on to every member you manage to find’_

_‘Can’t we just band together and fight back?’ Tyr shook his head ‘This feels like a bad idea’_

_‘We tried to fight the Thalmor before the war, we decisively lost then, now many of us are dead, we are scattered’ Framir sighed again deeply ‘There is no joy, no hope, in this order. But we must realise when we have lost, and we must now make sure our members do not die senseless deaths’_

_There was silence around the room as all of them tried to come to terms with what their grandmaster had just ordered them to do. Less than an hour ago, all of them had been hopeful, optimistic even. Now it seemed like their entire world had been smashed into a million pieces._

_Framir was also silent as he also realised the gravity of the order he’d just given, as it would mean the end of the Blades ‘I… I don’t know how much time we have left, but now that we are still together I want to thank all of you for your service’ he bit his lip as he softened his tone slightly ‘I realize I just destroyed what was left of our organisation with a single order, but I don’t see any other choice that would not lead to senseless deaths. It has been an honor serving with you, and as last grandmaster of our organisation I…. no’ he shook his head ‘Nevermind, there is no time to be sentimental’ he looked at the Penitus Oculatus agent ‘Thank your master for his warning, as without it we might have… well.. I would not like to think about it. Take a detour, so the Thalmor cannot link you or your master to our early departure from this place’ he then looked around the room one last time ‘I’ll take the non combatants from our group to a safe location together with Arai, Kjeld, Sonna and Artrus. We’ll decide the other rescue teams once we are out of here, now hurry, we want to be out of here within the hour’_

_Everyone nodded solemnly and quickly headed out of his office, after which he dropped himself in his chair and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was sitting on a log next to a hunting path somewhere in the southern Reach. Around him were those of his group that were left, it had been five days since their flight from the Rift. They hadn’t left a moment too soon, as three after they had split the rescue teams from the main group they had been attacked on the road by Thalmor scouts which had ridden ahead of their main justiciar force. They had been able to deal with them, but barely, and had lost nearly half of the group. After that Framir had led them into the wilds together with Arai and Sonna, the two remaining knights. Many of the loremasters and alchemists they were trying to lead weren’t able to adapt to the wilds, and thus travelling went slowly. But it seemed that, for the time being, they had been able to lose the Thalmor, since they had tried to meticulously cover their tracks after fighting the scouts. He stared at a group of old archivists who were sleeping under a closeby tree and wondered how the rescue teams were faring, whether they'd been able to save some others, or whether they had perished. It was impossible to know at this point, his plan had made sure of that. He sighed and thought to himself ‘It’s going to take years to get them all to safety, and even then, we might not even make it. But we have to try’_

_He wanted to stand up when he suddenly heard a sound next to his ear ‘Dayne?’_

_He looked around as there was no one by that name in his group ‘Dayne, wake up, the fire has subsided’_

Suddenly his eyes shot open and he realised he’d been dreaming again, and had been woken up by Saashi using his alias. They had rested for almost two hours while Saashi carefully listened to the fire and waited for it to subside. When it had subsided she had woken up Framir, Plautus and Malenwen who had all attempted to sleep a bit. Wanum hadn’t slept, he’d been sharpening his sword and cleaning the blade off wight residue ‘Are you guys ready?’

‘I suppose’ Malenwen yawned as she stood up ‘Let’s go see what this tomb has in store for us’

They carefully walked down to the second level and then descended into the third level, all the way carefully stepping over the remains of the wights they had killed. Framir conservatively estimated there had been at least a hundred, but it might have been far more as their magelights were weak and did not expose all of the remains to them. As they entered the third level Framir saw the remains of the base camp he, Saashi and Telarendil had used before. It was completely abandoned and empty. Framir sighed in relief ‘The scholars got out before those things arrived’

They then walked over to the entrance of Valentis’ tomb down a small hallway and carefully measured their steps as they walked towards the door with the gryphon on it. It was still open, and in the light of the torch Malenwen was carrying they could see glimpses of the large mural in the back.

‘So, do you see anything? Any spirits?’ Wanum asked nervously once they all stood in the burial chamber while he examined the mural.

‘No, but perhaps I should hold the amulet’ Framir took the small box out of his pack and took out the amulet. The moment he touched the enchanted ivory he saw a blue flash in front of him. He blinked with his eyes and suddenly noticed a transparent elf, glowing faintly blue, standing in front of the mural. The elf wore silver armor and had a crown on his short blonde hair. It’s eyes stared at him and the spirit raised it’s arms in a welcoming gesture.

‘Spirit’ Framir started carefully ‘Are you Valentis?’

The aetherial figure bowed it’s head and suddenly Framir heard an echoing voice in his head, the lips of the ghostly figure did not move, yet he heard the words ‘Valentis… it is who I was in life, I foresaw this day would come and thus I bound my spirit to this realm, in wait of the end times and my brother’s return.

‘Valentis, why does Celemaril seek the Elder Scroll from the statue, and why was it used to bind him rather than kill him?’

‘The scroll… it is a fragment left over from this plane’s creation. My older brother, Celemaril, the fool, who dubbed himself the “Light-Bringer”, sought to harness the power of creation to unmake the mortal plane in order to decisively beat mortality. For all his life he sought ways to true immortality but came to the conclusion that no form within the Aurubis’ current limits could ever truly bring him the endlessness he so desired. Our ancestors, the gods of Mundus can be harmed, twisted and even undone. Even the Daedric princes in their far off realms are not the inviolable creatures they would like those bound to the mortal plane to believe, my brother, like many others of my race, remembered what was done to Jyggalag all too well. His reasoning henceforth became that, this finite existence started at creation itself when the ancestors were born and time started, shattering true infinity with the birth of Auri-El. He believed he would be able to somehow reverse creation by harnessing the power of those fragments that were left behind by it’s residue and turn himself into the equivalent of a primordial spirit, existing as a force free of time and the finite nature of creation.’

As the spirit had been speaking, Framir had repeated his words for his companions but after that final sentence Telarendil spoke up, randomly speaking into nothingness.

‘That is pure insanity, the Elder Scrolls are fragments of the creation of Mundus. I do concede they have a potential for near limitless insight into our mortal plane to the right eyes, but there is no reason to believe they could ever fully reverse the creation of time as the scrolls themselves were born within time’s limits, thus having to abide by many of it’s rules’

Framir heard a hollow laugh in his mind ‘Your companion speaks true, that is what I too believed, and is why I and the Guide of Sunlight did everything we could to stop my brother. His insanity could have unmade the very mortal plane on which’s existence all that lives relies. But we were almost too late, the only thing left for us to do was seal him away using the very power he tried to harness. This is why he seeks the scroll, the seal was broken when it’s vessel was shattered, but the ancient chains we put on Celemaril’s spirit yet linger, keeping him from harnessing the power and knowledge resting within his mind and the scroll. The only way to do away with his chains, which were cast on him using the blight of creation, is by harnessing the very power of the scroll that bound him. He will not rest until he sees the chains broken and the power of creation once more within his grip.’

‘We know this, Shulkunaak, the one you call the Guide of Sunlight told us’ Framir said ‘But we need to know the incantation!’

‘The dragon did not tell you everything. My brother is trapped within the lich body his spirit so desires to escape, he cannot undo the body, only the pure of heart can. His physical form must be bested for it will no longer be able to chain him, he must be freed first and at the moment his spirit is freed it can be bound for ever to a marble statue, enchanted using five Varla stones by speaking the incantation and and locking the Elder Scroll with the statue, using the power of creation to bind him’

‘So that is what those enchanted gems were for’ Wanum grinned ‘Then we have everything we need, don’t we?’

Framir shook his head ‘No’ he turned his head to Valentis’ spirit ‘What is the incantation?’

‘It is simple, yet will require a lot of energy and an iron will for the caster. The words are ‘Ran Celemaril Nenagai’ the spirit was silent ‘You must bind my brother to his original resting place, but beware, he will send his slaves to fight for him and retrieve the scroll. At this very moment the mortals guarding it are being tested by his fiends, and he will not sit idly by as the ritual is being recreated… be prepared for the worst.. his fate is now in your hands... may the gods guide you….’

Suddenly the spirit started to fade and the voice in his head turned silent ‘He’s gone’ Framir looked at the other’s faces in the light of the torch ‘So, what now?’

‘Seems obvious to me’ Plautus spoke up looking around the circle they were standing in ‘You will need to bind the Sorcerer-king to the statue in your town, so the Elder Scroll and those enchanted stones your queen found, presumably the Varla Stones, need to be brought to your town for the ritual to work. Saashi and Telarendil, I think you should head to the town and prepare the statue, if possible. The others will need to go and get the Elder Scroll from the Queen’s castle’ he nodded at Wanum ‘Your Queen and general Marilaud will need to send all troops with you they can spare, if we are to believe this spirit, undead will overrun your town as soon as the Sorcerer-King will get wind of our plans. In the meantime I will return to the Imperial City and ask his Majesty for all the aid he can give us as we have no idea what might be waiting for us down the line. Are there any objections?’

All remained quiet.

‘Good, we should sleep then. We’ve got a long and possibly exhausting period ahead of us.


	9. Wrath of the Sorcerer-King

### Wrath of the Sorcerer-King

‘I’m sorry my boy, but I don’t exactly follow. You want us to prepare the town for, a siege!?’ Junius looked at Henrik for support ‘We only just rebuilt, we reall-’

‘If there was another way, I would choose that other way. But the only way to stop these undead attacks is by binding the Sorcerer-King here, the closer he is to the town, the bigger our chance of success’ Framir sighed ‘I really wish there was another way, but we will have to do it. And you have two days, by then my companions and I will be here with the scroll, and there will be no telling how many undead will swarm the place’

‘Well’ Henrik said, thoughtfully smoking his pipe ‘Our village’s walls have been mostly repaired. We’re lucky as our walls are stronger than a simple palissade, but if the undead will be swarming this place… good grief…’

‘We’ll bring soldiers most likely, all we will need to do is stall for time as we lure the Sorcerer-king here’

‘You don’t leave us much choice in the matter’ Junius folded his hands and stood up with a sad smile ‘But we will make sure we are ready, or as ready as we can be’

‘I’ll head off then’ Henrik said, standing up ‘Someone’s got to coordinate those blockheads of legionnaires in getting the defenses ready, you can count on me, boy’

‘And me’ Malenwen stood up with a frown ‘I’ll stay here to help Henrik, I wish I could go with you, but he’s going to need all the help he can get’

‘Right, that would be for the best’ Framir looked at Wanum ‘It’s going to be you and me then’

‘And hopefully at least a full squadron of soldiers once we return’ The Argonian sighed ‘I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into, but I’ll see it through to the end’

‘Thank you’ Framir then looked at Saashi and Telarendil ‘Junius says the statue is mostly rebuilt, can you guys work on it and make sure it’s ready once we return?’

‘Perhaps, but we may need more time’ Telarendil looked at Junius ‘Dear Major, how precise exactly is the replica you built, is it made out of the same materials? Does it have the same size?’

‘Yes, the whole town pitched in for the payment of the marble’ Junius frowned ‘Do you need the schematics?’

‘Saashi thinks that would be very helpful’ The Khajiit smiled confidently ‘Saashi thinks we will be able to do this, you can depend on Saashi and Telarendil’

‘Good’ Framir sighed and looked at Junius ‘I am sorry it had to come to this’

‘It’s not your fault, boy’ The old man grinned bitterly ‘We are not fighters, but we will try our best. You should go now, I’ll get everything ready’

‘Alright, thank you’ Framir looked at Wanum ‘Let’s ride out an hour before first light tomorrow’

‘Agreed’ The Argonian nodded at the scholars and major ‘Thank you all for your dedication, let’s hope it won’t be for nothing’

Both Framir and Wanum then walked out, there were a good few hours of sunlight left so each of them went out to help with the preparations.

They had arrived at the town several hours earlier after a long trek from the ruins of Narfinsel, Plautus had bid them farewell at the crossing to the Imperial city after which they had hastily travelled south. They had been forced to travel by night more often than they preferred, seeing themselves forced to fight off bands of undead along the way as more and more of the creatures started rising. Most of the creatures were weak, simply the bodies of soldiers of both sides who had died during the skirmishes in the early Great War who’s souls had long since departed the mortal plane. But some of the undead were vicious, lingering spirits possessing bodies of powerful men and mer. It had worried them greatly, causing them to stretch the energy of their horses to the limit.

When they had arrived at the town, the first thing they had done was go straight to Junius. The town’s new Major had demanded a long explanation, but after giving it to him he couldn’t do much else than cooperate.

Framir spent most of the afternoon at Lea’s laboratory, now devoid of nightshade fumes, helping in the creation of potions and poisons together with the old priest Guthrum. It would be essential to have ample medical supplies once the chaos would start and Lea was all too happy to have him as her assistant.

By the end of the day, several hours after sunset they left the laboratory after having consumed nearly all Lea’s ingredients for potions. It turned out that Lea had indeed been using his house for the past few weeks with the excuse that “his bed was better” and thus they walked together towards the district his house was in.

When they left the central district on the hill on which both the town hall, and further up the founder’s statue, were built, they saw how Imperial soldiers were busy barricading the entrances to the central district. In addition to that the lumber workers of the town had been ordered to work around the clock to gather wood for archer towers to be placed on the old walls and across the town in case the upcoming horde would break through.

Just before they passed into the living district Framir saw Henrik giving orders to a group of Imperial soldiers. He and Lea decided to greet him before retiring to sleep.

The old warrior looked surprised to see Framir ‘What are you still doing awake, laddy?’

‘I was helping Lea and Guthrum with the medical supplies’

‘Help which was very welcome’ Lea added ‘Turns out he’s quite good at alchemy’

‘Ah’ Henrik grinned ‘Well that’s good then, but I suggest you go to sleep now, less Wanum will have your arse tomorrow morning’

‘I will soon’ Framir looked around ‘How are the preparations going?’

‘As good as one may expect it to go’ Henrik frowned ‘Malenwen is coordinating the lumberjacks, it’s dangerous for them to work with the undead about but we don’t have much of a choice unfortunately’ he nodded at the simple reinforced gates of the town ‘We hope to hold them off by the walls, hope, once they break through we will make a line of defense at the main square, and after that at the entrances to the central districts. Legate.. what’s his name.. is making sure his men have enough bows and arrows, we’ll position archers throughout the town and make plank bridges across the roofs for the soldiers to use’ he sighed ‘If the gods are with us, we might just do this. This town has been used as a fort before back in the third era, and now it will serve as one again. We’ll evacuate the civilians to the abandoned High-winter castle, a band of soldiers is clearing it out right now, so the people don’t get taken by those damn goblins again’

‘So it’s about as good as we could hope for’ Framir sighed as Henrik nodded grimly ‘Well, thank you for doing this, old man’

‘My pleasure’ Henrik laughed ‘Just make sure to execute that plan of yours to perfection, will you?’

‘He’ll try’ Lea smiled and took him by the arm ‘But now, he needs sleep, come on oh great warrior, bed time’

‘Yeah yeah’ Framir chuckled ‘Good luck, Henrik’

‘Thanks, boy, we’ll need it here’

Lea then dragged him back to his house and once they had closed the door behind them Framir sighed ‘Well, so much for a calm retirement’

‘Hah’ Lea laughed as she quickly grabbed a bundle of fabric laying on his bench ‘You never really seemed like the type for that to begin with’ she then threw the bundle at him ‘Here, I had this made for you at the town tailor while you were away’

He unfurled the pack and found a clean set of clothes, including a very comfortable looking tunic ‘And what did I do to deserve this?’

‘You mean, what did you do to need this?’ She chuckled ‘Every time you are here your clothes are some form of tattered, ripped, bleached or whatever. So try to keep these nice, okay?’

‘I’ll try, thank you Lea’

‘My pleasure, now, off you go, to bed with you. You need to get up early tomorrow and it’s faaarrrr past your bed-time’

‘Alright, you’re right’ He sighed and scaled the stairs to his small bedroom followed by Lea ‘But before we go to sleep, I still have something for you’

‘You have my attention, but first, make yourself ready for bed’

After both had changed into their sleepwear, Lea sat down on the bed ‘So, what is this great mystery?’

‘Well’ Framir took out the small pouch he used to keep his coins in and took out the damaged necklace ‘This is for you, it belonged to my mother and was found in the ruins of my parents house. I remember you told me you lost your own in the fire and well… I meant to repair this one, but I never got the chance to bring it to a proper jeweler. And I was afraid Lond may just bang the thing up if I gave it to him for repair. I don’t know how the coming days are going to go, so I decided to give it now’ he handed her the necklace, it had sustained quite some damage, but the inlaid purple amethysts still shined brightly in the light of the candles.

‘Wow’ She smiled and looked up, then hugging him tightly ‘I love it’

‘Really?’

She let go of him and laughed ‘No it’s damaged and I can’t even wear it properly like this, but I love you so I appreciate it a lot you idiot’ She chuckled gave him a long kiss ‘But after all this is over, you will get this thing repaired for me’ she winked and blew out the candle ‘Now let’s sleep and enjoy a last night of peace’

‘That’s probably the worst love declaration I ever heard’ He smiled and laid down, putting his arm around her ‘But for what it’s worth, I love you too’

‘Great, don’t die then, okay?’

‘As long as you don’t either’

‘I won’t’

‘Good’

That night was host to nothing but blissfully calm deep sleep as Lea laid next to him, there were no nightmares, not even any dreams, just the temporary nothingness which gave him the rest he so desired.

‘Don’t you dare’ Lea snatched his new tunic from his hands ‘Wear this when you get back, you barbarian. If you wear this now, it’ll end up like the others’

‘Fine’ he chuckled ‘I’ll survive another few days in my rags’

‘Good’ Lea observed him as he changed into his older tunic and then helped him adjust the scabbard on his belt, he’d left his sword with Lond the previous evening to get it sharpened so for the moment the scabbard was empty. He wanted to head out but was stopped by Lea ‘Is there anything else I can do for you?’

‘Make sure I have something to return to’ He smiled and quickly kissed her ‘If everything goes according to plan it will be over in a few days, be sure you’re still around to see it happen’

‘I will’ she sighed and then strongly embraced him ‘Just, don’t die, will you?’

‘I’ll try’

‘Good’ She pat him on the chest ‘Now off with you, you still need to pick up your sword and if you aren’t at the gates in time, I’m sure Wanum won’t be happy’

‘You’re right’ He grabbed a cloak and stepped into the cold autumn morning. Summer had passed for some time now and the air once more became chilly. After picking up the new sword Lond had made for him after finding out his old one was “The equivalent of scrap metal” he hurried himself towards the gate where Wanum was waiting with their horses.

‘Are you ready?’

‘Of course, are you?’

‘After evading the fire for this long I think I’m ready for anything’ The lizard chuckled ‘Shall we go?’

‘Yes, let’s go’ Framir scaled his horse and they spurred their horses on towards the gate.

They hurried themselves along the path they’d been on several times now. At their speed it only took until the end of the afternoon to reach Alnwick, and then the queen’s castle. When they arrived they saw the castle was in bad shape, far worse than before. There was a large mass grave erected just a few yards from the castle where Imperial Soldiers were busy burying their comrades.

When the two riders approached the gate to the castle was opened, allowing them to pass quickly into the courtyard where both the Queen and General Marilaud were talking to the men. Large carts were standing everywhere in the courtyard and the tents which had been there last time had been packed up.

Both the Queen and general looked up in surprise when they saw the two riders enter ‘Hail your Majesty’ Wanum said as he came off his horse ‘We bring news and pressing matters to tend to’

‘Leave the pleasantries Wanum’ The queen, visibly in pain from a wound on her arm which had been sloppily bandaged ‘We were about to head out of here to Alnwick, yesterday the castle got breached again and this time a large part of the central defenses collapsed. We managed to drive them off, but barely. We hope to prolong the fight longer behind Alnwick’s walls, so whatever news it is you bring, I’d hope it doesn’t involve this ruin’

‘It doesn’t’ Framir said ‘You want the short or the long version, your Majesty?’

‘Short, preferably’

‘Take the enchanted stones, the Elder Scroll, and all the men you can muster. We need to ride for Rivercrest, we know how to bind the Sorcerer-king. But he will likely try to stop us and send swarms of undead at the village, hence why we need the men’

‘Hah’ The queen grinned and looked at the general and then back at Framir and Wanum ‘Now that's what I call a happy coincidence’ the queen motioned around ‘As you can see, we are almost ready to go’

‘Quite a happy coincidence indeed, but with those wagons you will travel slowly’

‘There isn’t much to be done about that, friend’ The general said with a frown ‘We can’t leave everything here, and we won’t get much further than Alnwick before nightfall. If we try to get any further the undead will take us in the night’

‘Fuck’ Framir looked at Wanum ‘What do you think?’

‘They won’t have to go any further than Alnwick’ He chuckled ‘Wasn’t the plan that we carried the scroll and the stones back? Perhaps if we carry them back to Rivercrest during the night the undead will leave the men alone and they’ll be able to reach the town before nightfall tomorrow’

‘That seems risky’ the general said with a frown ‘Can’t we make our stand at Alnwick?’

‘And leave two towns in ruin?’ Wanum crossed his arms 'It is not my intention to disrespect you, general. But let's face facts, this group of soldiers you have left here can’t protect Alnwick by itself, Dayne and I will ride through the night, you two make sure to send messengers to all settlements south of Rivercrest and bring as many men as you can to the town before nightfall tomorrow’

‘Wanum is right’ The queen sighed and looked at Framir ‘What do you think, friend? We have several fresh horses here that will be able to make it with you through the night’

‘I don’t see how we have any other choice’

‘Right answer’ The queen grinned and yelled ‘Alright men, make ready for departure!’ then she looked behind her ‘Edrien!’

Her chamberlain stepped forward ‘Yes, your Majesty?’

‘Fetch my seal’ She then walked over to a cart with a large cloth over it which the Imperial soldiers hadn’t touched and ripped the cloth off with the strength of her arms. Underneath it lay several chests ‘Give me a hand here, will you, Wanum?’

The Argonian quickly approached the queen and helped her open a small chest. She then took out five small jewels and the large Elder Scroll, putting them in a large bag. She then walked over to Framir and handed the bag to him ‘Hold this, will you’ she then yelled at one of the few mercenaries that was left to prepare three fresh horses and went into the remains of the castle.

‘So no sleep for us?’ Framir chuckled as he looked at the Argonian.

‘Doesn’t seem like it’ Wanum looked at the general ‘And what do you think about all this, general?’

‘Hah’ The breton grinned bitterly ‘Just like my friend here’ she pat Framir on the back ‘I don’t see how we have much of a choice, but I hope for all our sakes you will make it to the town’ she swallowed ‘We’ll be there, and I’ll be sure to bring every legionnaire in the area that can still fight after the last few months’

‘Good’ Framir sighed ‘That me-’

Framir looked behind him as the Queen emerged from her castle, an ebony war axe strapped to her belt and now dressed in light chainmail. Her chamberlain followed closely behind her ‘Alright Edrien, give me my seal’ she took the small seal from the breton’s hands and then bruskly offered it to general Marilaud ‘I’m riding with these two, here is my seal to send messages to the surrounding villages’

‘Your Majesty, that seems like a st-’

‘I’m going’ She interjected Wanum, handing the seal to the general ‘These two blockheads will need all the help they can get’

‘Alright’ The general grinned ‘For both our sakes I hope you guys make it, but I’d ride out as soon as possible if I were you’

‘We will’

The Queen’s men had made sure the three best remaining horses were chosen for their journey and within a matter of minutes the Elder Scroll and stones had been fastened to Framir’s backpack and then they once again rode away from the castle’s gates, this time with a third person added to the company.

The three of them rode as fast as they could and had passed Alnwick just before darkness fell over the plains and forests. The road ahead of them was still long as it would take at least seven more hours of high speed travel until they would arrive at Rivercrest.

At first their journey seemed as calm as it could be, but around an hour after dark their horses started becoming restless, the quick trott they had been riding in changed into a full gallop as the horses seemed to panic over something which the three riders couldn’t yet see in the darkness.

Then they came, the undead. Dozens of them, both wights and undead threw themselves at the riders from the shadows beside the road. Using their weapons they managed to keep the creatures at bay and away from their horses as the poor animals carried themselves through the night. Framir rode in between the Queen and Wanum as both of them were busy combatting the creatures that sprung up from both sides of the road, their weapons drawn. Wanum’s horse had already gotten wounded as one of the undead had managed to make a cut near it’s neck. Fortunately the cut wasn’t deep nor did the animal bleed badly, but it couldn’t happen again if they wanted to make it to Rivercrest.

They were less than an hour away from the town when suddenly the attacks subsided, the queen was panting ‘I don’t trust this’ she put her axe to rest on her shoulder for the moment as their exhausted horses trotted on ‘All of the way those undead shits have chased us, where are they now?’

‘I don’t know, but let’s make use of the opportunity’ Wanum said as he held his sword drawn ‘They can be back any minute’

But the undead would not come, and soon they could see the lights of the town ahead. Framir sighed in exhaustion ‘Almost there, almost there’

They rode on through the dark, but suddenly, a mere three hundred meters before the town gates a massive swarm of undead jumped at them from both sides of the road. Their horses had been too exhausted to notice the undead and as the creatures jumped at them, the horses stumbled and fell over one after another, crashing their riders on the ground.

‘Fuck!’ Framir yelled as he got launched in the air. When he felt his back hitting the ground, he felt the Elder Scroll make a painful imprint on his skin as he had carried the scroll on his back. But he couldn’t focus on the pain now, he formed a kinetic energy spell in his hands, driving as much energy in it as he was capable of, releasing it in all directions by holding his hand up. A loud bang pierced the night air and several undead, which had been on their way to him and the scroll were blasted over. He then quickly stood up, casting a magelight. He then saw the Queen and Wanum running towards him, chased by undead ‘Run you idiot!’

He nodded and started running towards the town gate where he now saw movement, the soldiers in town had heard the explosion and they were coming to their aid.

He ran as quickly as he could, fighting undead along the way. His new sharp sword easily pierced the undead’s broken and half dissolved pieces of armor. He ignored the pain he felt in his body and simply kept running towards the light of the gate, which was now being opened.

He decapitated an undead imperial soldier and then an undead Aldmeri soldier, then an Ayleid and what looked like an ancient Khajiit. He was now close, he could see the silhouettes of the reinforcing soldiers approach, his magelight lighting the path in front of him.

He was exhausted, and he felt like he could collapse at any moment.

_“I. have. To. Make. It._ ”

He bit his teeth together and kept running, he now passed several of the reinforcing soldiers who were running towards the approaching undead and heard the sound of clattering metal indicating their clash.

_“Have to.. make it…”_

Only fifty meters left to the gates, but his body finally gave in. He misstepped with his right leg, which made him stumble, and then fall over.

He felt his body come down on the stones of the road in front of the gates, he barely managed to catch himself on his hands but he felt the Elder Scroll come loose and fall on the cold stones. Unfortunately his hands managed to only break part of his fall and he still felt his body come down on the cold stones, the rings of his chainmail painfully biting in his chest.

He had trouble breathing as he opened his eyes, next to him he could see the Elder Scroll in the light of the fire coming from the town gate. The scroll was partially unrolled. He tried to divert his gaze, minding the words of several blade loremasters that the Elder Scrolls, to the untrained eye could damage the mind. But it was too late, his eyes had caught part of the aetherial fabric. A bright, blinding flash went through his mind, numbing his senses and a screeching sound was engulfing his mind, deafening him to the world around him. He was blind, deaf and senseless. He felt nothing, heard nothing, saw nothing but the blinding mental flashes. He wanted to scream, but couldn’t. He wanted to stand up, but couldn’t. He wanted to exist, but didn’t. He then heard a voice, deep and frightening. It was a draconic voice, but not Shulkunaak’s. The voice sounded old, older than the trees, the rocks and life itself.

_‘Ni liivra hin mere, true, this is not the final, krongah- victory. Alduin always was pahlok- arrogant in his power. Uznahgar paar….’_

The voice faded away but returned seconds later.

_‘…. He took domination as his birthright. This krongah will shake the loyalty of the dov who serve him…._

_….Alduin has travelled to Sovngarde to regain his strength, devouring the sillesejoor… the souls of the mortal dead. You must destroy him there, once and for all, Dovahkiin…_

_.. He no longer ov’s- trusts the dov. He will send his mid aar- loyal servants to stop you. Krosis rises in the east and Volsung has taken the title of Konarik and will lead the armies of Bromjunaar and the west. You must have great vosaraan- haste, before his armies will consume those that stand against him…_

_.. vosaraan Dovahkiin, til los hind- there is hope…’_

Framir screamed as he felt his breath return. He opened his eyes, but saw nothing but blinding light. He started to breathe quickly but then felt a hand on his forehead and heard Lea’s voice ‘Calm down, you are safe now’

Now his eyes adjusted to the light and saw that it’s source was the small window in his bedroom ‘You’re safe, I’ve treated your wounds while you were asleep’

‘What.. how.. what happened?’

‘You collapsed in front of the gate and our men heard you scream. Malenwen and the soldiers carried you and the Elder Scroll inside’ She embraced him ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Better’ He sighed and relaxed his muscles ‘Where are Wanum and the Queen?’

‘Resting as well, both have been carried to the inn as they too collapsed once they had passed the gates’

‘What time is it?’

‘Around noon, you’ve been out for seven hours’ she sighed ‘Remember how you promised me not to die?’

‘Have I died then?’

‘No bu-‘

‘Then I haven’t broken my promise’ He closed his eyes again ‘Have the general and her men arrived yet?’

‘No’ Lea laid down next to him ‘We got a messenger in saying they will be here before sunset, but we haven’t received an exact time’

‘Alright’ Framir sighed, he no longer felt any pain as Lea’s potions had treated him well ‘Would it be selfish of me to stay here a while longer instead of help out there?’

‘A bit’ She chuckled as she laid her head on his chest ‘But I won’t tell anyone you’re awake’

They stayed like that for almost an hour, until there was a knock on the front door.

‘I’ll get it, you stay here’ Lea sighed as she stood up and went downstairs.

When he heard Lea open the door he couldn’t make out the words, but he heard that the voice of the knocker had belonged to Malenwen. After a few seconds he heard both of them come upstairs and enter his bedroom. Malenwen smiled when she saw him being awake ‘I see you survived, nice job Lea’

‘It was nothing, really’ Lea chuckled

‘So, you are ready?’ Malenwen crossed her arms ‘There is much left to be done’

‘I’ll be there in a second’ Framir got up and sat down on the side of his bed ‘Did Saashi and Telarendil make any progress on the statue?’

‘Yeah’ Malenwen nodded ‘They are fitting those stones to it’s base right now’

‘Good, good’ Framir sighed ‘Then all that’s left to do is take out Celemaril’s physical form’

‘Speaking about that’ Malenwen frowned as she leaned against his wall ‘Is there any plan as to how we are going to find this one undead among the horde that is presumably coming?’

‘I have no idea yet’ Framir stood up and quickly walked to his small bathroom to change ‘But we’ll figure something out’

‘That’s not reassuring’

‘No it isn’t, but it’s the best we can do’ Framir walked back to the bedroom and grabbed his sword which Lea had positioned next to the window ‘With a bit of luck he’ll just be in the front of the horde, trying to get his hands on the scroll’

‘I suppose we’ve got to worry about that when the time comes, huh?’

‘Exactly’ Framir turned to Lea ‘Thank you for patching me up, I’ll help some more with the preparations now, I’ll come and look for you before sunset’

‘Good luck’ She quickly hugged and kissed him before he headed out.

In the town there was quite some commotion as the regular townsfolk were being evacuated out of the town, some stayed behind to either help with the defense or assist as medical personnel, but the overwhelming majority was preparing to leave town and head for Highwinter castle. As he approached the town center he saw Junius talking to Henrik, he and Malenwen then joined the two men ‘How are the preparations going?’

‘Ah, good to see you up laddy’ Henrik frowned ‘About as well as you could expect’ he motioned at the edge of the central district, behind which stood the restored founders statue ‘Those two scholars have been working day and night, you should see for yourself they are almost done’

‘I’ll check it out in a bit. Is there anything I can help with?’

‘You could see if you can help out those scholars’ Henrik pointed at the walls ‘The defensive preparations are almost complete, now all you need to do is make sure all of this will have been worth it’

‘It will’ Framir looked at Junius ‘Will you join the citizens at Highwinter castle?’

‘I’m afraid not’ The old major said ‘I will stay here and assist the medical staff, in my youth I have shortly stayed at a temple of Kynareth. I know a thing or two about tending to the wounded, and I think my limited skills will unfortunately be called upon’

‘Hah’ Henrik grinned ‘We’ll need everyone on board we can get, everywhere around our town the Undead are already roaming. In every shadow, every cave they are lying in wait for the fall of dark’

‘We’ll just have to hope for the best’ Framir swallowed ‘I’ll go check on Saashi and Telarendil, after that… well.. I’ll see what I can do’

He left Malenwen with Henrik and quickly walked over to the site where Saashi and Telarendil were working on the founder’s statue. When he approached he saw the elf and Khajiit were in a heated discussion regarding the order of two of the Varla stones. He slightly chuckled at the sight and approached them. Telarendil excitedly explained how they had been able to reintegrate several of the Varla stones into the statue and were now working on the final two stones. He didn’t quite understand the logic behind their debate, but still spent over three hours helping them integrate the remaining two stones into the statue’s base once the scholars had mitigated their discussion on the order of the stones, since the insertion required some raw magical strength.

It was around the end of the afternoon when the final stone got embedded in the base of the statue, at which Saashi let out a large yawn ‘This one is going to sleep, Saashi hasn’t slept for at least 20 hours, but needs to be well rested for the ritual tonight’

‘I agree with my colleague here’ Telarendil looked at the statue ‘Truly mr Pure-Wish I think the people of this town did a marvelous job restoring this statue, the reintegration of those stones cost almost no effort at all’

‘It took you almost two days’ Framir chuckled ‘That can’t be ideal’

‘Oh but it is!’ Telarendil smiled, the bags under his eyes clearly visible due to the exhaustion ‘Normally something like this would take… well, at least a week or two considering the magical fields around the stones, but they fit almost seamlessly’ he crossed his arms and smiled confidently ‘With this done, that ancient fool stands no chance. Just leave that ritual to us, and we’ll leave the fighting to you’

‘Thank you, Telarendil’ Framir nodded ‘I’m counting on you guys, now get some sleep. Nightfall quickly approaches’

‘Indeed’ Telarendil suppressed a yawn ‘Good luck, friend’

Framir then made his way to the town gate where preparations for the final barricades were well under way. He smiled when he saw how much progress had been made and when he approached he heard a loud cheer from one of the imperial lookouts on the walls ‘Reinforcements are here! The general is approaching!’

The soldiers on the square in front of the gate all cheered and Framir sighed in relief

_“Thank the divines, they’ve made it”_

He joined the rest of the soldiers at the gates as they saw a large procession of legionnaires carrying the Imperial and gra-Batul banners emerge from the forests in the distance. It took the procession another half hour to reach the town gates, at which point a large crowd had formed by the gates, cheering the new arrivals on as they passed through the gates. The Breton general Marilaud rode in the front on a chestnut horse and she was greeted by Henrik and the Queen who came walking towards them from the town center ‘General! I see you made it, thank the divines!’

‘Hah’ The general grinned ‘I told you we’d be here’ she stopped her horse in front of the queen and motioned at the procession of soldiers which came marching in ‘Eleven-hundred men, that’s all that was left’

‘More than I anticipated’ The Queen crossed her arms and looked at Henrik ‘What do you think, warrior? Can we pull it off?’

‘Maybe’ Henrik stroked his beard and looked at the general ‘Well met, general. If you come with us we can talk strategy, you should have your men locate themselves in the burned district to the right’

The general nodded, got off her horse and ordered her men to the district. She then saw Framir standing by the gates ‘I see you’re still hanging in there, friend. Will you join us at the strategy meeting?’

‘No’ Framir shook his head ‘I’ll head out of town soon I think’

‘You’ll do what?’ Henrik frowned and walked towards him ‘Have you los-‘

‘No, the more I think about it, the less likely it sounds that the Sorcerer-king will be at the front lines with his undead horde. He’ll likely be somewhere in the back, so I want to be somewhere out there so I can operate behind the horde and hopefully take him out before the horde is able to break through the walls. And with his attention focussed on the scroll and the town, I can hopefully slip by unnoticed’

‘As much as I hate to admit it, you are right’ Henrik grinned bitterly ‘Any idea on where you’ll be hiding as the horde approaches?’

‘I’m thinking that cave the townsfolk fled to after the fire’ He sighed ‘But I’m afraid that cave might already be infested with undead at this moment, so I’ll see where I can hide’

‘Will you go alone?’ The queen frowned ‘Because I would advise strongly against that’

‘I was thinking of asking Wanum.’ He chuckled slightly ‘He’s been with me so far, so maybe he’ll go with me now as well’

‘A good choice, although I am not so sure Wanum himself is gonna like the proposition too much’ she laughed and then reverted back to a serious frown ‘Good luck then’ The Queen bruskly shook his hand ‘We’re counting on you’

‘I know’ Framir nodded and then breathed in deeply. He was procrastinating as he didn’t particularly want to head out, but judging by the stance of the sun he’d have to head out soon. He slowly breathed out and then went to search for Wanum.

\------------------------

‘Are we expecting any additional reinforcements?’

‘No’ Henrik

shook his head, looking at her ‘Even if the emperor has decided to send men, it was too late the moment that agent went to the imperial city. From there it’s seven days on horseback for a lone rider at least, there is no way they can have a legion here in time. Those have to travel on foot’

‘Alright then’ Malenwen sighed, looking out over the walls toward the sunset ‘I suppose there is nothing more we can do then but wait’

They heard an Orcish voice behind them ‘I don’t think we’ll have to wait for long’ they looked over and saw that the Queen had climbed the walls as well ‘Those pests usually come out less than two hours after the sunset’

‘Then let’s hope for the best’ Malenwen looked back towards the plains, towards the sunset. Two lone riders were visible galloping away from the town ‘I hope they’ll be able to take that thing out’

‘Hmhm’ Henrik frowned deeply as he also looked at the two riders ‘Our fate is in their hands now, all we can hope to do is delay the enemy as long as possible’

‘I’m nervous’ Malenwen felt her hand shaking a bit as she rested it on the hilt of her sword ‘And frustrated, there’s nothing we can do but wait. I want to do something, want to help, wa-‘

‘There’s nothing we can do’ Henrik put his hand on her shoulder ‘But we’ll be in the action soon enough. Get some rest now that you still can, dear’

‘I’ll.. I’ll try’ Malenwen bid both Henrik and the Queen farewell. She looked around town for familiar faces as she passed the main square, but almost all the townsfolk had been evacuated and all that was left to man the barricades were the Imperial soldiers. They too seemed nervous as they sat around campfires, sharpening their blades, counting arrows or simply staring at the fire, waiting as the calm before the storm threaded on.

She ended up sitting with a couple of soldiers who were playing a simple dice game in an attempt to distract herself from the approaching chaos. As the darkness fell over the small town and she looked up to see the distant moons she sighed and thought to herself, _“Maybe it won’t be that bad”_

She immediately wished she hadn’t uttered the thought as less than a few seconds later an Imperial War Horn sounded from one of the guard towers in the west. Then another in the east, and after another minute one in the south.

_“Fuck”_

She stood up with the rest of the soldiers and hastened herself towards the walls of the town. She saw Henrik shouting commands from high up the walls and saw the Queen run past her with haste towards the southern wall. She couldn’t make out Henrik’s shouts at first, but when she came closer she heard he was ordering everyone to get their bows, throwing spears or “Whatever is loose and you can get your hands on” and prepare to throw it off the walls.

She reached the top of the walls and approached Henrik ‘Are they coming?’

‘Look for yourself’ The old warrior said with a bitter expression. She looked over the walls and saw in the last rays of sunlight countless figures emerging from the shadows. ‘Fuck’

‘Say that again’ Henrik motioned at the eastern and southern walls ‘The queen is taking command of the south, the general in the east. And I’m here’ he laughed humorless ‘They want me to hold this piece of scrap metal we call a gate’

‘We’ll hold her, don’t worry, old man’ Malenwen nervously laughed as she looked at the approaching figures. Soon all the light of the sun would be gone and the world around them would be cloaked in darkness, with only the faint glow of the moons to help them distinguish the figures in the night. She looked back at the town beneath them and saw soldiers were busy lighting torches to create maximum visibility within the walls ‘We can do this’ she said it more to herself than to Henrik ‘Framir and Wanum won’t let us down’

‘Let’s hope so’ Henrik leaned on his sword and spat on the ground ‘Say dear, do me a favor and go and make sure those scholars are awake and ready’

‘I will’ She quickly ran down the walls towards the town center. In the streets the legionnaires were making their way to the walls, running after their commanders and captains. She also passed a few townspeople who had stayed behind to fight, clueless as to what to do, She motioned them to follow her and brought them to the square in front of the town hall where the medical personnel was posted and told them to stay there and protect the healers if it came to it. She then quickly made her way to the founders statue where Telarendil and Saashi were sitting, the Elder Scroll on Telarendil’s lap ‘Ah, miss Thaoyill, we heard the war horns, so we assumed it had started?’

‘Yeah’ She examined the scholars, both seemed nervous. Telarendil seemed more nervous than in Taneth and was constantly clacking his tongue ‘You two stay safe, if they break through the barricades this square will become our main location to defend, so under no circumstances leave your post, and when we see a green fire explosion in the sky you activate the ritual’

‘Saashi knows the signal’ The Khajiit tensely nodded ‘We are ready’

‘Good, good lu-‘ Before she could finish her sentence she heard a large explosion by the gates ‘I need to go’ she quickly ran towards the gate and heard another loud bang followed by several Imperial soldiers being blasted off the wall.

_“Great, they have mages”_

As she came closer she could hear Henrik shout orders at the soldiers ‘Aim for the mages! Those wight’s can’t break through by themselves, aim for the mages!’ Malenwen ran up the walls, grabbing a bundle of simple throwing spears by the stairs leading up the walls. As she climbed the kinetic blasts continued and she saw several more soldiers being blasted off the walls and Henrik’s loud voice thunder over the noise ‘Hold on to the balustrade you blockheads! Do you have a death wish?!’

Despite her situation she couldn’t help but chuckle as she grabbed the wall tightly with her left arm, dropping the spears on the ground in front of her and grabbing one with her right hand. The spears were nothing out of the ordinary and were nothing more than simple tree branches with a nail hammered in the front, but they were very effective as in the faint glow of the moons and their torches she could see undead being pierced by the things and fall lifeless to the ground. Unfortunately the immense horde of undead in front of the walls was so large that the amount of spears they had made would in no way prove to be enough to keep the creatures at bay. She saw the glow of spells among the undead as more and more kinetic blasts were fired at the walls, luckily they did not make nearly as many casualties as before as the soldiers attempted to hold on to the walls, which was in most cases very successful. She threw her first spear towards one of the undead mages, but missed the creature by a few meters ‘Fuck!’ she threw again and this time hit the thing right in the chest ‘Got him!’

‘Good job, girl’ She heard Henrik yell ‘Now aim for the others!’

She spent all her spears, and those of the blown off soldier next to her trying to take out as many of the mages as she could.

After half an hour she had managed to take three of the mages down by herself, unfortunately the mages had ceased trying to blow the soldiers off the walls and had rather reverted to shooting lightning bolts up the walls. This caused the men on the walls to have to cower behind the balustrade, only showing their face when they would throw over a projectile. This throw and duck tactic however greatly hurt their accuracy and allowed several mages to find their way to the gates where they had started to unleash great waves of kinetic energy. In the meantime, several undead mages had aimed their lightning bolts for the archer towers and they had managed to make several of the wall’s towers come crashing down on the streets below by taking out the supporting beams.

It wasn’t looking good for them as the blasts near the gate started to have an effect and the gate slowly started bending inwards from the constantly applied kinetic pressure by the mages.

‘If you’re out of ammo, get down to the gates!’ Henrik shouted as he ran down as quickly as he could ‘Barricade the gate or the thing is going to go down!’

Malenwen threw her final spear and then saw she was nearly alone on the walls, almost all the legionnaires had either died or had run out of spears to throw. Only a single archer tower was still operating, but the moment she looked at the tower she saw it being hit by a powerful lightning bolt, causing the tower to start swaying due to the damage in the support structure. She quickly ran towards it to help the soldiers that manned it down, nearly being hit by a bolt of lightning herself as the mages were still on the lookout for anything which moved on the walls. When she reached the tower she saw it was starting to fall over ‘Jump down, I’ll help you!’

One of the soldiers saw her and nodded, jumping down. She caught the man in her arms, preventing him from falling over and then did the same for the other. They’d been just in time as the moment the second soldier jumped, the archer platform crashed down to the streets. ‘We need to move! They need us at the gate!’

The soldiers nodded and followed her down. At the small square in front of the gate she saw a squadron of legionnaires stand in formation, their shields resting on the ground and their pikes in front. In the middle of the formation was a large gap, through which soldiers were hastily supplying wooden beams to strengthen the gates as they could see the kinetic magic slowly bending them down.

‘The gate is going to come down! Be prepared! Soldiers, in formation!’

The soldiers that were attempting to strengthen the gates dropped their materials and ran towards the gap, filling it out.

‘Everyone not in formation, grab a spear, or whatever you can find and throw it at the gate when it blows open!’

Malenwen and the two archers joined the back line and while the archers prepared their bows, she grabbed a spear from a dead soldier which had been blown off the wall.

They were all silent, as the gate slowly but steadily was battered down by the waves of aethereal magic. Slowly but steadily the gate started to bend down. The upper hinges were shattered in a matter of minutes, and at that point they suddenly saw dozens of hands gripping the gate.

‘They are climbing on the gate!’ Henrik’s voice was starting to get coarse as he tried to yell over the screeches of the undead trying to batter down the gate ‘Aim for the gap, strike them back! Strike them back!’

Suddenly a rain of spears and arrows came down on the gap between the entrance and the massive iron gate which was slowly bending down. They could see the undead being pierced by the weapons, sliding off the slowly reclining gate. But it was too late, another wave of undead threw itself at the gate. The weight of the creatures caused the bottom hinges to shatter, bringing the entire gate down on the street below with a loud crashing sound.

‘Steady! Prepare for the mages! Have your feet steady on the ground!’ Henrik had trouble making himself audible over the lifeless battle cries of the approaching horde. There was no tactic, no centered attack. The horde just bashed into the town like a river would drown the lands after a dam had broken.

The undead threw themselves at the soldiers, mindlessly screaming and gnawing as they clattered on the shields and got pierced by the spears and pikes used by the soldiers. Countless undead fell on the imperial weapons. The line was holding, the warriors behind the line threw projectiles at the group as archers on the town roofs shot at the approaching undead.

The line held, but was slowly being pushed backwards by the inflowing horde and the piles of undead bodies which started to form at the soldier’s feet. The soldiers of the line started to become exhausted as there was seemingly no end to the rows of undead creatures flowing into the town through the gates. Then suddenly they heard a loud explosion from the east, which shook the ground itself and made several houses lose roof tiles.

Malenwen could vaguely hear a soldier from one of the archer towers as he tried to shout over the cacophony of sounds below ‘The eastern wall is breached!’

_“Fuck”_ Malenwen panted as she tried to help the soldiers in the line keep steady by killing any undead that managed to break through. She looked at the gate and now saw that the stream of undead had slightly slowed down, making way for undead mages to enter the town.

‘Henrik!’ She yelled from the top of her lungs ‘Mages!’

‘Fuck, and we’re already pushed far back’ Henrik leaned on his sword as he now too saw the creatures approach ‘Retreat! Retreat back to the first line of barricades, we’ll make a stand there. Archers, aim for those fucking mages!’

Suddenly the line now broke up, it’s soldiers locked in a rearguard action as they were running down the main street. The archers on the roofs attempted to give them cover by targeting the mages, but it did not prevent several soldiers from being fried to a crisp by incoming bolts of lightning. The soldiers once more formed a tight line between the barricades they had erected in the main street. This time several of those who had thrown projectiles had taken up the shields of their former comrades and tightly closed the line, making it so that the newly formed line, which was blocking the entire main street, was four rows thick while several other soldiers behind them once more picked up the projectiles which they had stacked at the barricades during preparation.

This repeated itself in a cycle where the soldiers would form a line and then retreat back to the next barricade when the line was in danger of breaking. All the while the roof archers moved with them. Unfortunately they had to retread much further after three of these cycles, when the undead had been able to outflank them by running through side streets and breaking their way through houses. They had tried to drag all the ammunition from the barricades they had to abandon to the central district as the soldiers forming the line did a desperate attempt to slow down the horde, but slowly and steadily they were driven ever further back towards the town center. After the line had been re-established at a barricade they wouldn’t be able to get outflanked, a messenger from the town center came running towards Henrik ‘The western units, they are being driven back much faster. General Marilaud has been driven almost to the center, the undead have given up on the southern walls so the Queen’s men are being divided to reinforce you, hold on for now!’

‘We will’ Henrik spat on the ground ‘Tell the queen to get as many people to the general as needed, we’ll hold them here for a while’

‘I will sir’

Malenwen was now fighting alongside the soldiers in the line as she heard Henrik voice the order. She sighed in exhaustion but forced herself to keep stabbing the spear she took from a dead soldier forward, trying to down as many undead as she could. She looked up towards one of the archers as she pierced the undead in front of her ‘Are there still more coming!?’

The archer did not answer immediately but then affirmed her fear ‘Yes! More are sti-‘

Before he could finish his sentence he was fried by the power of a lightning bolt and she heard the few remaining archers yell ‘Mage!’

Of the around fifty archers which had protected their side of the town, only around fifteen remained and all of them were short on ammunition as they often had to run backward, to other towers and platforms to retrieve their ammo. Henrik had ordered them to only shoot the mages as those were dangerous. The mindless undead and wights were easily killed using spears, but the mages were dangerous.

Malenwen heard Henrik order another fall back, but before he could finish his orders she suddenly heard a faint sound over the undead screams. Then again, this time louder.

‘War horns!’ She yelled ‘Are those the men from the southe-‘

Before she could finish her sentence the sky was suddenly flashing white. The intensity of the light blinded everyone and made the undead stagger. Once she and the soldiers had adjusted to the light they could quickly finish off several undead and move a few steps forward before the undead had regained full consciousness.

‘What in oblivion is this!?’ Malenwen looked up at the sky and noticed several gigantic balls of light hanging above the town, lighting the entire area as if it was a bright summer day. She could now clearly see the hordes of undead. They swarmed through the entire town and as she could see the gate in the beyond, even more were entering.

‘Press on men! Those creatures are weak to the light! Take your chance and strike as many down as you can!’

Malenwen did as Henrik said, and together with the remaining soldiers by her side she attempted to go in a counter attack. This was surprisingly effective as in the light they could now clearly see and the undead had become considerably slower. Malenwen no longer felt the exhaustion of her body as she stuck down undead left and right, but a strange flickering light by the gates caught her attention. She looked towards the gates and now saw there were massive fires in front of it, burning the undead hordes in front of it. She wasn’t the only one that had noticed, several soldiers started cheering as they re-established the line at a previously abandoned barricade.

‘Henrik, what in Oblivion is happening?!’

‘I don’t know, but let’s use it to our advantage!’ The old Warrior now joined the line himself ‘Archers! Keep aiming for the mages, we aren’t done yet!’

\---------------------------------

_15 minutes earlier._

_The northern plains in front of Rivercrest._

‘I’m out of ideas’ Framir panted as he got off his horse ‘Maybe he’s just waiting somewhere in a far off cave for his horde to finish the job’

‘Maybe’ Wanum rode up to him in the dark, the faint glow of the moons reflected on his scaly head ‘But we can’t give up, not now’ he grimaced and sloppily bound a piece of fabric around his left hand which was severely bleeding. They had needed to fight for their lives several times as they bumped into groups of the undead horde, trying to escape the horde as they looked for any sign of the sorcerer-king’s presence. They were now far north of the town and they hadn’t gotten a clue so far as to whether Celemaril was even there.

‘We’re wasting our time, we should b-‘ suddenly he heard the traces of a human voice carried towards them on the wind. ‘Do you hear that?’

‘What?’ The Argonian sighed ‘All I hear is the sounds of our friends dying, we need to get back t-‘ the Argonian turned his head further toward the north as both carefully listened.

Over the wind they faintly heard a human voice shout, his voice likely amplified by magic ‘-he west, fifth division take the Synod mages to the gate and burn all creatures in your path. College mages, at the s-…-he horn, cast your lights. Penitus Oculatus you’ll follow me down th-…-enter. Legate At-…-est‘ the voice got cut off by the strong gusts of the wind but Framir had already gotten back on his horse and both he and Wanum started riding rapidly towards the north. A small line of forest blocked their path but they rode through it. As the treeline started to fade after almost five minutes of rapid gallop through the forest they started seeing the glows of fires and the magically amplified voice was now clearly audible to them ‘-rrently the eastern walls and the gate in the west have fallen, we need to hurry. Everyone mount and follow your banners!’

When they emerged from the forest they saw countless torches, carried by a massive group of imperial cavalry. Several horses not only carried soldiers, but also carried hooded battlemages and to the left of the group there was a large squadron of mages, preparing themselves.

‘Hail!’ Framir shouted as he and Wanum sped towards the approaching army. They were noticed by several soldiers and then they saw the commanders turn their heads. And suddenly the commander in the middle, a lean imperial in regally decorated steel armor on a large black steed, started riding towards them. The figure removed his helmet, revealing the face of prince Aemon ‘Friends, it is good to see you. But does your presence here mean the garrison has fallen?’

‘No, we have another mission’ Framir shook his head as they rode next to the prince back towards the army ‘But from what we can tell they have been driven back deep into the city’ he looked at the army ‘So, you’ve gotten here just in time’

‘Good!’ The prince nodded ‘We attempted to send a messenger two hours ago but they were stopped by the horde’ he looked back at the other commanders, a general and three legates ‘It’s time, make ready to sound the horn’ he spurred his horse on towards the army ‘Penitus Oculatus, on me! College mages, be ready to cast your light! General Attius divide your men between the east and west, have the Synod mages burn every undead they can find to disrupt the flow of fiends into the town. You two, take your men to the west. Legate Arvinius, take your men to the east’ the prince drew his sword and held it up in the air. This caused several horns across the army to be sounded one by one, indicating all the units were ready, after which they all blew on the horn again, this time together. At this signal the horses started moving and suddenly Framir saw a blinding flash come from the group of infantry battlemages as they shot several bright balls of light up to the sky. Each ball became more bright the higher they got, lighting up the entire area.

‘That will help’ Wanum dryly commented as the cavalry was speeding next to them towards the town ‘But it won’t help us find the Sorcerer-king’

‘Is there anything we can do to help?’ Prince Aemon approached them again, this time followed by a battalion of heavily armored Penitus Oculatus agents on horseback ‘I understand you are searching for the Sorcerer-king, Plautus gave me a long briefing on the way to your town’

‘Yes, but so far we haven’t been able to find him’

‘Ah’ The prince frowned ‘From what our scouts can tell the eastern walls have been blown to dust, couldn’t that have been the work of the sorcerer-king?’

‘From what we could tell that was the work of liches’ Framir sighed as he followed the prince and his men back towards the town through the forest in a slow gallop, following the fast riding legionnaires ‘But he has to be there, we skimmed almost all of the northern, western and southern plains now.. lots of undead, even a lich. But nothing so strong we couldn’t handle it’

‘Well, then let us ride for the eastern wall. My men and I will help you look, let’s go’ The prince put his helmet back over his head and shouted to his men ‘Agents, follow these two warriors. Look for anything that looks extremely powerful, the battlefield should be well lit. Tell us, the moment you see anything!’

They rode with the prince to the edge of the forest from where they could once again see the town, this time properly lit. Framir uncomfortably swallowed when he saw the hordes of undead in front of the gate and wall breach. There were so many, from what he could see he estimated them at at least thirty thousand. He looked over at Wanum ‘We need to cut off the head’

‘Yeah, fortunately we have some more eyes now to search for the head’ Wanum then started galloping towards the east of town, followed by Framir, the prince and the armored Penitus Oculatus unit.

It took them over twenty minutes to reach the eastern side of town, all the while they saw the Imperial mages and cavalry come down on the undead. The battlemages shot powerful fire explosions at the undead entering the town, trying to disrupt the flow of creatures into the town. All the while the melee cavalry charged into the undead horde, trying to make as many casualties as possible. It was an effective strategy that would without a doubt give those in the city some breathing space, especially with the undead severely weakened due to the mighty lights shining down on the city. Unfortunately the tactic wasn’t enough to break the undead lines as the undead mages were blasting the riders off their horses, forcing the battlemages to devote their energy to protecting the cavalry, meaning the stream of undead flowing into the town was slowly getting back up.

To make matters worse the battlefield quickly started to darken again after a while, the lights above the town seemingly started to dim.

‘What in oblivion is going on!?’ The prince looked up and then towards the commander of his Penitus Oculatus unit ‘Are the mages waning?’

‘No’ Wanum answered and suddenly pointed towards the southern horizon ‘Something is spewing dark clouds into the air, look!’

Framir and the prince both looked, now seeing a large shining figure standing on a hilltop with what looked like a staff, which was producing vast amounts of dark energy which was being converted into strange dark clouds which were rapidly filling the skies above the town.

‘Well’ Framir said as he gripped his sword ‘I believe we found the snake’s head’

‘Yeah’ Wanum nodded ‘Let’s go’

‘Good luck you two’ The prince nodded ‘I need to help the men out, with the skies darkening the western division will perish soon as they are almost surrounded by those fiends. We need to break the encirclement’

‘Understood, good luck’ Framir took in a deep breath ‘Let’s go’

‘Wait’ The prince motioned at an agent in full armor, wearing a helmet ‘Carellius, you want to go with them?’

They then heard the slightly muffled voice of Plautus from under the helmet ‘If you permit it, your Highness’

‘Yes, go with them’

‘Thank you, your Highness’

‘Come on then, let’s go before he’s gone again’ Wanum put his heels in the sides of his horse ushering in a fast gallop. He was closely followed by Framir and Plautus as they raced towards the south. As they got closer to the shining figure the sky grew ever darker until the magical lights were almost all but blotted out from the sky and the eerie glow radiating from the figure’s large staff being the last indication of it’s location.

As they came closer both Plautus and Framir cast their magelights, exposing the lone figure on the hill and letting it know they were coming. The figure was a large rotting body, far larger than any regular Ayleid. But under it’s golden helmet and richly decorated blue-golden armor they could still clearly make out the characteristics of an Ayleid. The rotten creature, which they now saw did not only hold a large staff but also a lean silver sword inlaid with gold focused it’s eyes on them. Even as they were still at least a hundred meters away they could see the piercing orange shade of the eyes which radiated power.

The rotten lich did not move, but simply looked at them as they approached. It bared it’s mouth in what resembled a twisted image of a smile. As they came closer they saw the remains of half decayed teeth in it’s ravaged mouth. What stood in front of them was a husk, a rotten husk which was cursed to do nothing else but keep the dark spirit residing in it locked away for the rest of eternity.

They nearly simultaneously jumped off their horses less than thirty meters from the large creature, with both Plautus and Framir immediately conjuring up wards. The figure did nothing.

The fact the lich did not move an inch and simply rested it’s demonic eyes on their approaching figures made them weary and they instantly slowed down. When the creature noticed they were slowing down they heard a terrible, rasping voice come from the husk. The voice, which came to be as the ancient decaying muscles in the creature’s throat started moving for likely the first time in centuries, was laughing. It was a disgusting sound and it was accompanied by another twisted deformity of a smile ‘So… heroes… has the truth finally dawned’ the creature spread it’s arms, raising it’s sword and staff high up in the air as it towered over them ‘You have lost, this plane will be consumed. If you kill my physical form, I will be freed’ the creature laughed again ‘If you do not, I will kill every last one of you vermin’

‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that’ Framir drew his sword ‘We will send you back to the nothingness from which you came’

Celemaril laughed again in his terrible, broken, tone ‘Have it your way, noble hero. Do you wish for me to resist? Or should I simply let you destroy this body? Eitherway, I’ll have my due’ The three warriors moved closer, surrounding the decaying sorcerer-king ‘Perhaps this could be fun, it has been a long time since I have seen true pain in a mortal’s eyes. Let me indulge, no relish, in your mortal pain, a final time before the true face of infinity will come to me and I will take my birthright’

‘You’re delusional’ Wanum grabbed his sword with both hands ‘You won’t get that which you desire, not as long as we stand here’

‘Well’ Celemaril chuckled, a nauseating sound ‘Only one thing to do about that’

He started raising his staff and a blinding light started to form. Less than a second later a powerful spell was released, intended to sunder them to pieces. Fortunately both Framir and Plautus had immediately cast wards, also protecting the Argonian Wanum as Plautus jumped in front of him. The jump had been risky, as Celemaril went in for a slash with his lean silver sword. The lich was fast as it’s feet didn’t seem to touch the ground and it easily floated towards and away from them whenever it needed.

Both Framir and Wanum tried three times to hurt the creature with their swords while Plautus attempted to keep the creature busy with spells. Unfortunately the sorcerer king had understood their tactics and while laughing hysterically started floating away from them and above them, shooting spells at them.

‘Tell me heroes, do you feel it, the pain, the suffering of those pathetic creatures in the town you call your kin? Do you hear them in your mind? Do you relish in their pain?’ He seemed to hum a strange tune to himself as he kept firing spells at them which they either blocked or dodged just in time ‘I hear them, I feel them, I live for them’ Celemaril landed several meters away from them ‘It is truly pathetic, mortal life ending’ he raised his staff and shot a lightning spell out of it, which was too fast to dodge, it hit Wanum in the right leg. There was no chance he’d been able to dodge it. The sheer energy of the spell threw the Argonian on his back, his leg scorched and bleeding ‘Pathetic, mortals are truly amusing’ the demonic orange circles forming the sorcerer-king’s vision focused themselves on Wanum ‘I could have taken you out like this from the beginning…. But yet… that does not give me satisfaction….’ He shot another fast bolt, this time at Plautus. The imperial had stood with a ward, but the moment the strong bolt hit the ward it broke and the sheer force made Plautus stagger and fall to the ground ‘Three heroes… out to save their world, a world that never belonged to them, a world that twisted the ancestors… mehrednila aryointi.. your friends are at their breaking point. I can feel my troops coming closer to the scroll..’ Celemaril closed his eyes and floated a few centimeters upward ‘It is almost done’ the disgusting sound resembling laughter once more came from the creature’s mouth ‘Kill me if you so desire, you have lost. Free my spirit and accept your fate’

Framir drew his sword, carefully stepping forward.

‘The pain, the end, the finiteness… I can feel them.. you and your friends reek of it. Will you truly have the strength to do it, hero? Will you destroy this vessel, in the knowledge my spirit will finally be freed? Or will you sit here with me and watch as my spawn will finish off your friends and bring me the scroll? You have no options, the outcomes are the same’

Framir approached slowly with his sword drawn, forgoing his ward, exchanging it for a bright green flame. The complicated spell already drew badly on his energy and he felt his strength leaving him as he released it up into the sky. There was now no way back. With the energy he had left he gripped his sword with both hands as he looked the lich in it’s demonic eyes. The creature had the twisted image of an amused smile on it’s face but at the moment it noticed the green spell wasn’t headed for it, something resembling a confused expression came over the rot.

Then suddenly an air of panic, but it was too late as Framir had cast his sword at the neck of the creature which was not protected by any armor. The large green fire explosion in the sky glistened off the creature’s armor as Framir took his sword out, staring at the large gap his sword had left in the creature’s neck. Suddenly the body of the creature started to shrivel up as a blue aura started to replace it and in his mind he heard a clear, pleasant voice ‘Thank you, now you will see your world fall and it’s limits consu-‘

Suddenly the voice was silent as the blue aura started to rapidly spin. A loud shrieking sound was tearing through their ears as the aura started to collapse upon itself and slowly but steadily be consumed by the darkness within. The dark clouds which had covered the sky quickly started to disintegrate. The aura became smaller, all the while shrieking terribly, and after a final shriek and a small but intense flash of light, the sorcerer-king was no more, bound to the mortal plane forever.

Two kilometers to the north a town which had been on the brink was able to let out a collective gasp as the undead which had now penetrated into the town center itself fell down because the evil force which had driven them was no longer able to supply them with energy.

As the rows of undead fell down on the ground, many of the soldiers, Malenwen included, dropped their swords and cheered. Some of them fell down in exhaustion, the two scholars sighed in relief for they had feared the ritual wouldn’t work. Others, like general Marilaud started randomly embracing the soldiers around them. But some, like Queen Urzoga did not celebrate. They went back to the field of battle to find out whether their comrades which had gotten trapped in alleyways had managed to survive the onslaught. But none did what the old warrior Henrik did, although it was the least interesting of all, as he simply chuckled while he sat down on a rock and fetched his pipe from his pocket, looking towards the orange sky in the distance where the sun was starting to show itself. He then looked towards the south where he saw two figures standing on the hilltop, helping up a third. He then felt in his pocket for the small amulet he carried in it while looking at the figure standing in the middle of the three. He then smiled and said to himself ‘Well, boy, you made us survive the night. Now let’s hope the world is going to give you some rest..’


	10. Epilogues

### Epilogue part 1: The Long Road Ahead

_Hearthfire 15th, 4E 180_

‘Are you sure you are okay with coming along?’

‘Yeah, I’ve never been to Hammerfell before’ Lea smiled as she put several tunics in her pack ‘And I’d love to see that oasis you told me about, it sounds like the ideal place to have a little vacation’

‘Alright, well, as I said before, you’re very welcome to join in’ Framir stuffed the few belongings he had in his pack and then looked up ‘You know, maybe they have a jeweller in Taneth who can repair that necklace’

‘Oh, good one. I’ve been dying to wear it but the lock is completely botched’ Lea quickly grabbed a small box which stood on the bedroom dresser and put it in her pack as well.

It had been five days since the battle, the prince and his men had been helping the townsfolk restore the town and cleaning up the area of the undead bodies. While there had been quite some losses, the army which the prince had brought was still fairly large, and with that much manpower and a couple of strong mages behind them, the repairs and clean up were finished within four days. The prince himself had stayed at the town for the first two days to personally oversee the construction but had then headed out to Edgewater together with queen Urzoga to discuss the future of the region.

The Queen had decided to make Edgewater, her new seat of power now that her castle lay in ruins. Edgewater, which laid only half a days ride south of Rivercrest was the biggest town of the small kingdom and still saw some trade. In addition to that it also had a small harbor, making it the economic center of the small kingdom. It was a logical place to settle, and with the attention of the prince the queen was hoping to perhaps secure some favorable trade deals to help her kingdom rebuild.

Wanum had gone with the Queen. It had turned out that the last commander of her mercenary forces had perished in the battle, and once Lea had taken care of his wounds the Queen had appointed him as the new commander over her forces. It wasn’t a very prestigious job, as the Queen’s army was by no means large, but Wanum had been quite happy nonetheless.

It had now been three days since their departure and it was on this day that the prince and his retenue were expected to return. He and general Marilaud had agreed on travelling back to the Imperial city together and sharing command over the army as half of the commanders the prince had brought had unfortunately perished in the battle.

Framir had spent the days mostly with Lea, tending to the wounded together and discussing his plans now that he would finally be able to settle down. However, after discussing the matter with his former companions it had turned out he wouldn’t be able to settle down just yet as he had offered to bring the amulet used to speak to Valentis’ spirit to the sorceress Naela Greenthorn in Taneth. He’d offered because he had quite enjoyed their time in the city of Taneth and he hoped to have some time to relax in the warm sun of Hammerfell now that he no longer had a pressing quest. He had also hoped Lea would be willing to come along for the ride as he was hoping to show her the small Oasis town, luckily she had agreed.

It was then decided that, like Saashi and Telarendil, they would travel with the army to the heartlands and then go their separate ways as Saashi would be enrolling in the college of Whispers at the personal recommendation of Telarendil. In fact, the two were already researching their next project, something which they had picked up on while studying the ancient manuscripts found in Valentis’ tomb. They were being quite secretive about it under the pretense that they didn’t want anyone to be able to steal their work, something which was quite prevalent under the Synod and the college of Whispers. Therefore, secrecy was an understandable measure, considering several Synod mages had still been staying in the town to aid the reconstruction with their magical talents.

‘How are you taking so long? Last time I checked you only had a few possessions, and even using the word few might be stretching it a bit.’ Lea laughed as she helped him search for a tunic ‘All your clothes are half tattered, do you even need them anymore?’

‘Yeah, I do’ Framir smiled as he found the tunic and put it in his pack, then closing the old bag ‘And excuse me, half of the stuff in my bag is yours’

‘Welllll we won’t get faster by complaining about it’ Lea stuck out her tongue and made her way towards the stairs ‘I’ll go and bring the key to Malenwen, see you outside!’

Framir sighed as he heard her run downstairs, without her bag, causing him to have to carry it down. Framir carefully carried down both the packs and through his window saw Lea talking with Henrik and Malenwen outside. They’d decided to give Malenwen the keys to both their houses as she’d be staying in the town to help train some new guards while they would head out into Hammerfell. Henrik on the other hand would head to Edgewater in the coming days as the Queen had asked for his expertise in training new soldiers for the realm.

‘Hey guys, what are you doing here?’

‘We were hoping to catch you two here before you’d head out, boy’ Henrik smiled ‘We wanted to see you off, the prince and his men have already arrived’

‘Oh really?’

‘Yeah apparently they left very early, even before sunrise I’d guess’ Malenwen smiled as she put their keys in her pocket ‘Have you already decided how long you’ll stay in Hammerfell?’

‘No’ Framir shook his head ‘But not too long, I want to return here soon and finally start my long delayed retirement’

‘Retirement?’ Malenwen frowned ‘You’d better help me with training those villagers’

‘Yeah, I’ll make sure he won’t sit on his ass for too long’ Lea laughed as they started walking towards the square by the gate where the prince and general Marilaud were preparing to leave with the legionnaires, only leaving a few behind for the town’s protection while new guards were in training.

When they arrived at the square they saw the soldiers had already started marching out in an orderly procession. General Marilaud was observing the soldiers until she saw Framir approach.

‘Ah, Dayne, Lea! Are you ready to leave?’ The figure of the general approached them as they walked onto the square.

‘Yeah, we’re almost ready. Is his Highness ready for departure?’

‘Yes, I’m pretty sure he is. He’s ridden to the front of the procession and asked for me to close the rear’

‘Ah’ Framir nodded and then turned to Henrik and Malenwen ‘Well, it looks like it’s goodbye for now. We’ll see you again in several weeks I think’

‘Aye, be careful out there’ Henrik smiled and embraced them both as a soldier came walking towards them with their horses ‘We’d like to see you back in one piece if possible’

‘Don’t worry, Old Man, we’ll be fine’ Framir shook his hand and quickly hugged Malenwen ‘We’ll see you soon, take good care of our keys Malenwen’

‘Don’t worry, I won’t wreck your houses or anything’ Malenwen now quickly hugged Lea and then Lea and Framir both got on their horses after attaching their packs to the saddles. They then saw both Saashi and Telarendil approach on horseback, ready to make the journey to the heartland. They were then stuck at the square for another full ten minutes as Saashi bid a long and drawn out fare well to Malenwen and Henrik. She got quite emotional as she had no idea whether her new profession at the college would give her the time to ever visit them again. After promising five times that she would try they saw that the final couple of soldiers had started to march out of the gates

After a final goodbye to their friends the four of them led their horses to trot beside the procession, following general Marilaud who closed the procession at it’s rear. The clear autumn weather proved to be a pleasant ride and helped all of them relax as they started their journey to the heartland.

### Epilogue part 2: Old Friends

_Hearthfire 28 th, 4E 180_

_Several miles from Weye, the Cyrodiilic Heartland_

‘It feels good to be so close back to home’ Prince Aemon smiled as he looked at the Imperial City on lake Rumare. They’d been travelling on the Red Ring road for two days now and had been able to see the large city with it’s massive spire in the middle of the lake for several days now.

The journey had taken far longer than the last few times as the horses had to slow down in order to keep up with the marching army, but Framir and Lea had been quite happy with it. They had been able to use the opportunity to do some sight seeing of Cyrodiil as they would sometimes ride ahead with the scouts and enjoy the lush forests before catching up with the army again. That morning Framir had wanted to take Lea with him to see an old shrine several miles from the road, but they’d been stopped by Plautus, who had informed them that the prince had asked for Framir to join him in front of the procession on this last day, as he’d planned to split off from the army that evening as he and Lea planned to make the journey into Hammerfell. They would take the opposite crossing at Weye and then head towards the Dragontail mountains, while the Army, the prince, Saashi and Telarendil would pass through Weye and head into the imperial city.

‘It truly feels good to be so close to home’ The prince looked at Framir ‘You’ve been very quiet so far, friend. Tell me, do you have any family back home?’

‘Not anymore, your Highness’ Framir sighed as he looked ahead on the road ‘My parents unfortunately died before I returned to our town, the only family I have left now is Lea, the girl I brought with me, and my friends in town’

‘Ah, I see. And please, drop the pleasantries for the moment. I’d like to converse normally’ After Framir nodded in agreement the prince joined him in staring at the road ahead ‘Are you thinking of starting a family perhaps?’

‘That depends on how things go’

‘Well, if I were you, I’d hold on to her, she seems very nice’ The prince chuckled and then looked ahead ‘You know, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to come myself after Plautus brought the message you needed aid. I could have easily sent a general and be done with it’ he smiled faintly as he once again looked at the massive spire in the distance ‘Ever since I met Aurelia, and especially since my little girl’s birth I have been particularly hesitant to risk my neck’ he chuckled again ‘During the war I was quite impulsive, nearly got killed twice actually but now I’d almost say I’m probably too careful. But that’s what happens when you know what you’ve got to lose, doesn’t it?’

‘Yeah, I see that. But what made you come to our aid then?’

‘Ultimately? Simply a sense of duty’ The prince looked at him with a serious frown ‘My father always told me that we rulers are here to keep our people safe, protect them. Unlike the Septims, who one could say had a divine right to rule, the only thing making us legitimate rulers is the fact that it is us keeping the people safe. He always said, “why would our people risk their lives for us and work for us if we are not willing to live and die for them?''’ the prince sighed ‘I was the only commander in the city capable of leading a large mixed cavalry brigade, so I went. There were others, but they’d have to travel to the city, which would take time. Something we had very little of. I knew our assistance might be vital, and without it the Sorcerer-king might not have been stopped, so it was simply the only thing I could do in order to keep to my duty. If I hadn’t gone, I’d have forsaken my people. And in the end, I am just one man, if my death could have helped save them I would have had no remorse in the end’

‘That’s an interesting way of looking at it, do you not think the Septims had that same drive?’

‘Oh they probably had’ The prince sighed ‘Think only of Martin, he sacrificed his life so that all of us may live. But what I think my father means, or at least what I make of it, is that we are just men. We have not been chosen by the gods, the only right we have to rule comes from the fact that our coordination of the empire keeps the people safe, if we fail in our task, it means we are unfit to rule as it’s our only basis for legitimacy, if that makes sense’

‘I think I get what you are trying to say’ Framir thought back to the war, to the old emperor on his throne lamenting to him that he had failed his people ‘Well, I think the emperor would be proud of you’

‘I know he is’ the prince laughed ‘I received a message by courier three days ago and he couldn’t stop singing praise, I was almost embarrassed by it’ the prince grinned but then turned more serious ‘In fact, that is what I wished to talk about when I invited you to ride alongside me today’

‘Oh?’

‘My father has summoned you, as well as the two scholars to come and see him’ He smiled tentatively ‘He also summoned your Argonian friend, Wanum, but seeing as he isn’t with us he’d have to come another day. But my father wishes to personally thank you and the others and has therefore ordered me to take you with us to the city’

‘I see’ Framir suddenly got an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, he’d known about the summons as general Marilaud had warned him about them. She’d been the one to recommend him to slip away that day under the pretense of showing Lea the ruins, something which had unfortunately not worked out as he was asked to ride beside the prince.

‘You seem hesitant, friend?’ The prince frowned ‘To see the emperor is a great honor, that said, considering you bear the mark of the wolf it means you have already met my father and must be on quite good terms at that’

‘Yeah’ Framir nodded, he felt guilty towards the prince. During all of that day’s ride he’d been curt towards him, hoping the prince would not start about the emperor’s summons ‘I had just been looking forward to the warmth of Hammerfell’

‘Well’ The prince laughed and pat him on the shoulder ‘My friend I will personally make sure you and your beloved will be showered in luxury during your visit to the city, just because my old man has summoned you that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be relaxing yourself’

Framir sighed, but then laughed as he accepted his fate ‘Well, I can’t say no to that, can I?’

‘I wouldn’t at least’ The prince laughed as well and then once more looked towards the city ‘Don’t worry, I will personally make sure my old man won’t have you stay in the city for too long if it isn’t your wish’

‘Thank you’ Framir smiled slightly, he was worried about the upcoming encounter, but knew it was unavoidable now and accepted it. Something in his acceptance made it so that a mental weight fell off him and he was now able to converse normally with the prince. During the remainder of the day they talked of all sorts of subjects, from Framir’s plans once he’d return to town to the prince’s account of the cavalry’s journey to Rivercrest. As the sunset came closer, the prince invited Lea to join as well. The girl had given Framir a worried frown when she heard of the Imperial summons, but had soon, like him accepted the inevitable.

As the sun was setting in the west they joined the prince and his retinue in galloping towards the imperial city while General Marilaud would lead the soldiers to the barracks the following day. The prince led them to the palace district, and true to his word they were welcomed like nobles and were able to enjoy luxuries normally reserved for kings and queens as he’d personally set aside one of the best guest bedrooms for them.

Since the emperor would remain in court for several more hours before he would be able to welcome them, and neither Framir nor Lea had eaten anything before entering the city, they were then invited to join prince Aemon and his wife Aurelia for dinner. They had a more than splendid meal consisting of Venison and an assortment of fresh vegetables, topped off by a small iced cake as desert. Halfway through their dinner they were joined by Saashi, who’d been taken to the grand halls of the college of Whispers by Telarendil the moment they had stepped into the city. The poor Khajiit seemed quite sad when she saw they had almost finished their dinner, as Telarendil hadn’t exactly provided her with anything edible that evening. But she was quickly helped by the prince who ordered the royal chefs to make another serving for her as they waited for the emperor to finish.

They waited for almost three hours, during which time they talked extensively with the prince and princess. Princess Aurelia and her little daughter Elena, who had been allowed to join them after dinner, were very curious to hear of their adventures. The little princess seemed especially entranced by their story as they told them everything in great detail, from Framir’s arrival to the town to the eventual demise of the Sorcerer-king. Half way through the story the prince had been called away to join the emperor in the throne room, but they had continued the story on the insistence of both princesses until finally a tall Penitus Oculatus officer came knocking on the door, informing them they were being summoned for an audience with the emperor.

Framir breathed in deeply and looked at Lea and Saashi. Both looked at him with worried glances but he nodded and they quietly followed the officer after bidding farewell to princess Aurelia and her daughter.

They quietly climbed the staircases which Framir knew lead to the large metal doors with the throne-room behind them. He was tense, but found some distraction in looking at Lea, who despite the situation was amazed by nearly everything she saw in the palace. It had been her first time to the White Gold Tower and while it had definitely seen better days was still a marvel to explore to ordinary citizens. But even the delightful sight of Lea’s wonder didn’t postpone the inevitable large metal door which came ever closer.

Framir wondered whether the emperor would even recognize him, he looked vastly different from how he did five years ago and someone in the emperor’s position meets a hundred people every day.

_“Well, only one way to find out”_

He followed the Penitus Oculatus agent as the large double doors were opened by the men standing guard. The throne room was dark, only illuminated by a few chandeliers. But in the faint light they could clearly see an old man in regal robes sitting upon the simple wooden throne which stood in the middle of the large circular room. Next to him they could see prince Aemon who was smiling at them as they approached and bowed deeply to the emperor.

When they had risen from their bows the old emperor stood up and spread his arms ‘Welcome, honored guests’ he smiled as he descended the pedestal his throne stood upon ‘I am deeply sorry you weren’t able to meet me several months ago, but it is my hope that my son provided sufficient of a substitute’

‘Saashi thinks he did, your Majesty. Thank you for the great honor of inviting us’

‘The honor is all mine’ The emperor smiled and came closer to shake their hands ‘My son has told me all about you and your exploits, and all I can say is that you did the empire. No, all of Tamriel a great servi-…’ the emperor stopped talking when he reached Framir and shook his hand. An expression which held a mixture between shock and relief flashed over his face for less than a second before the old man regained his composure ‘What I meant to say was that you did not only the empire, but all of Tamriel a great service. My apologies, I misspoke, I am quite exhausted at this late hour’ the old man chuckled and sat back down on his throne ‘But it was my understanding there would be four of you?’

‘Yes, Saashi deeply apologises for master Telarentil’s absence, your Majesty’ Saashi smiled nervously ‘Master Telarendil told this one he had… uhmm… “More Important things to do, like sleeping”… Saashi is truly sorry’

‘I see’ The emperor then suddenly laughed ‘Well, I cannot argue too much with him, the hour is late after all. I hope my son has proven to be an adequate host to you?’

‘Quite so, your Majesty’ Lea smiled and bowed ‘Our dinner was absolutely delicious, and our room is the definition of luxury’

‘Good’ The emperor smiled and looked at this son and then back at them ‘Now unfortunately your timely arrival came to me as a bit of a surprise, so I am afraid I have no rewards for your great deeds. But, just like my predecessors, I reward excellence, and my son has given me some excellent ideas.’ The old man looked at Framir and Lea, resting his gaze on Framir for a few seconds ‘He tells me you two are planning to make a trip to Hammerfell, correct?’

‘Yes, your Majesty’ He answered ‘We will ride for Taneth tomorrow morning if possible’

‘I see… well… that will not be enough time’ The old man looked at his son and back ‘In that case I will make sure that by the time you will get back to your town there will be a nice surprise waiting for you’ he then looked at Saashi ‘For you dear scholar, I do have a gift which can be given immediately’ he clapped in his hands and from one of the doors in the walls came a Penitus Oculatus agent with a small wooden box. The agent handed it to the emperor and then walked off again. The old man then motioned Saashi to come to him ‘I’ve heard you will be joining the college of Whispers, correct?’

‘Yes, your Majesty’

‘Well, in that case you will need a place to stay’ the emperor opened the small box, showing a key ‘I’m afraid the house this key gives access to is quite small, but I have been assured by my agents it is quite close to the main facilities of the college. One of my men will bring you there tomorrow morning’

‘Your Majesty… Saashi is honored… thank you’

‘I’m glad my gift is appreciated’ The old man smiled ‘My friends, I am sorry if I seem a bit distraught. I too, am quite tired as it has been a long day. Unfortunately I still have a few things left on my schedule for the day, but I hope the three of you will find comfort in the luxuries of the palace. It is my honor to have you stay here and I hope you will enjoy your quarters. But before you go, allow me once more to thank you for your services. I, no, all of the empire is in your debt’

They thanked and bowed to the emperor when he stood up and bid them farewell. He then walked towards one of the doors in the room, followed by his son. They were then guided back to their quarters by the same officer that had brought them up. Despite Saashi being absent during their arrival at the palace, she too had gotten quite a luxurious accommodation in the guest floor for the night. Before going to sleep, the three of them decided to have some tea at the guest facilities in order to chat a bit with Saashi, whom they would be bidding farewell to next morning.

They talked once more of their shared adventure as they enjoyed the luxuries of the palace. Just as Framir was about to finish his second cup of tea they were approached by a Penitus Oculatus agent with a long face. They had been alone in the guest tea room so far and had immediately noticed the agent as he walked towards their table with long steps. When he reached their table he politely greeted them ‘Good evening, I have been send to escort Dayne Pure-Wish to an audience with his Majesty’

‘Ah’ Framir closed his eyes and sighed, but then he smiled ‘Of course, I’m coming’

‘Good, please follow me’

He looked at Lea as he stood up. She smiled confidently and nodded ‘Good luck, we’ll wait here’

‘Alright, I’ll see you soon’

He quietly followed the Penitus Oculatus agent up to the floor above the throne room. When they reached the hallway giving access to the royal quarters the agent led him to the door giving access to the emperor’s office ‘Please wait here until you are summoned’

‘Alright’ Framir sighed and leaned against the wall opposite the door while the agent walked back towards the stairs. The hallway was deserted, save for two agents standing watch on both ends of the long hallway.

He had a bad feeling in his stomach and as the minutes progressed he started to feel progressively nervous. After more than five minutes had passed the door was opened slightly and a short blonde figure slipped out of it. It was the little princess, and she carefully shut the door behind her. When she saw him she walked over to him ‘Hello’

‘Good evening, your Highness’

‘Good evening’ The little princess leaned against the wall next to him ‘Grandpa and daddy are talking about you, you know’

‘Oh?’ Framir chuckled at the nonchalant tone of the little girl.

‘Yeah’ The little girl looked up at him ‘Grandpa tells my father he thinks you are a raven, but you don’t look like a bird to me’ she studied him with her clear blue eyes ‘Are you like… a werewolf? But then like… a were.. raven?’

‘No, I’m not little princess’ Framir chuckled.

‘So they are not talking about you then? Grandpa is wrong?’

Framir shook his head and then bowed over to the little princess and whispered in her ear ‘No he’s not, but let’s keep that our little secret, shall we?’

The little girl looked at him wide eyed in surprise but then energetically nodded ‘Okay! I can keep a secret, don’t worry’ she bowed over to him and motioned for him to crouch down ‘I sometimes secretly take my father’s sword from the wall and practice with it, he doesn’t want me to do that. But I still do it every now and then when he and mommy are away’ she proudly stepped back and leant back against the wall, mimicking his stance ‘There, now you know a secret of mine as well. If I tell on you, you can tell on me, agreed?’

Framir chuckled and nodded with a smile ‘Okay, little princess, I’ll keep your secret’

‘Good’ The little girl proudly smiled as she put a finger against her lip ‘Really, don’t tell anyone, I’ll be in big trouble if you do’

‘As long as you don’t tell anyone either’

‘I won’t, promise’

‘Good’ Framir smiled and looked at the door as it opened again. This time the prince came out, looking very concerned. He nodded at Framir with a sigh ‘My old man is waiting for you, friend’ he looked at the little girl leaning to the wall next to Framir ‘And what exactly are you still doing here, little one?’

‘I was just… um..’

‘She was welcoming me to the royal quarters’

‘I see, well, it’s bedtime, come’ The prince took her by the hand and then looked at Framir with a sad smile ‘I’m sorry for bringing you here, friend…. I think I understand your hesitation now.. but know tha-… no’ he shook his head and smiled ‘No, you should go talk to my father’

Framir nodded ‘I will, good night’

‘Yes, good night friend’ The prince walked off with princess Elena. Just before they headed into the door leading to their quarters, the little princess looked back to him and pressed her index finger to her mouth, silently mouthing the words ‘Our secret’

Framir chuckled again and then took in a deep breath as he slowly opened the door to the emperor’s study. The room was well lit and he saw the old man sit behind his desk with his hands folded ‘Ah.. Dayne Pure-Wish, was it? Please, close the door behind you’

Framir closed the door behind him and then saw the emperor stand up with a sigh ‘My friend… words cannot describe how relieved I am to see you’ the old man walked over to him and before he could bow embraced him. When the emperor let him go he smiled ‘All this time I thought you had died’

‘Well, I came close to death several times’

‘Well, Arkay be praised that you stand here today’ The emperor sat down on his chair and motioned for him to sit down on one of the chairs in his office as well ‘All this time…’ he looked at him with a sad frown ‘How many others survived?’

‘I don’t know’ Framir shook his head sadly ‘Of the group I led… about half of them I think’

‘I see’ The emperor sighed and looked down ‘Any word on Tyr?’

‘No’ Framir shook his head ‘I haven’t seen him since he and several others went out to save a group of agents stuck in fort Alessia’

‘Ah’ The emperor folded his hands ‘Do you want to tell me more?’

‘With all due respect, your Majesty… I..’ He sighed ‘I have tried to leave my life as Framir the Raven behind, and I’d like to keep all of that in the past’

‘I understand, and I agree that would be best’ The emperor looked at him with a concerned gaze ‘Do you plan on staying in your town?’

‘Yes’ Framir nodded ‘I’m hoping to lead a quiet life there’

‘I’ll pray to the gods you will get the life you seek’ the old man stroked his short beard ‘How many people know of the Raven?’

‘Quite a few unfortunately’ Framir chuckled slightly looking his old friend in the eyes ‘Turns out I am not very good at keeping my own secret, or disguises for that matter. But I’m quite sure the Thalmor don’t know of my survival’

‘Good’ The emperor nodded ‘Well, they won’t learn it from me’

‘I wasn’t afraid of that’ Framir let out a deep breath ‘But for what it’s worth, your Majesty. It’s also good to see you again’

‘Is it now?’ The emperor laughed ‘So far your face as looked as if I just ordered you to swallow an entire unskinned citrus’

‘I know, and I’m sorry, your Majesty. I’m just trying to forget about all of it and start anew, to the extent that that’s possible’

‘Well, one cannot erase the past. One may only try to avoid one’s mistakes in the future’

‘That’s true, but I’m still hoping my past will not come to haunt me’

‘I hope so too, dear friend’ the old man sighed ‘I can imagine it’s been five long years’

‘It has’ Framir admitted with a hollow chuckle ‘But I think that goes for both of us’

‘It does’ The emperor laughed slightly, then letting his eyes rest on Framir ‘I wish you could stay a bit longer, and tell me of all that has happened. But that would be unwise, for even now that we have peace I am still often being watched’ he looked around the room and then back to him with a slight smile ‘Don’t worry, there are no Thalmor hiding in my office, but they keep a close eye on my schedule and having you around for long would raise eyebrows, and I suppose keeping you here won’t get you any closer to the peace you so desire’ he stood up and smiled sadly ‘For your sake I hope I won’t ever hear of you again’

Framir chuckled slightly and nodded as he shook the old emperor’s hand ‘I don’t expect you’ll hear of me again, your Majesty’

‘So then this is farewell, I suppose’ The old man put his hand on Framir’s shoulder ‘I am sorry for everything, my shortsightedness most of all. It was my stupidi-‘

‘Your Majesty, I understand’ Framir sighed ‘There was no other option, and you did what you had to to protect your people’

‘I know’ The emperor looked him in the eyes and slightly smiled ‘But I am glad I could say it to you in person, now go, and make sure I won’t ever need to hear your name again’

‘I will, your Majesty’ Framir bowed and made his way out of the emperor’s office, he felt mixed about the encounter. But still felt like a weight had fallen off his shoulders, the encounter had been inevitable and it being over finally freed the path to the life he so desired.

### Epilogue part 3: Serene Sands

_Frostfall 8 th, 4E 180_

_Several miles outside Taneth, Hammerfell_

‘I’m just glad you thought of bringing those white clothes’ Lea wiped the sweat off her brow as she and Framir rode towards the white city in the distance ‘By Martin, this heat can’t be healthy for me’

‘Hah’ Framir laughed ‘Whimp, this is nothing compared to the deserts inland!’

They had been following the coastal road of Hammerfell for quite some time now and were finally closing in on the city of Taneth. It had been over a week ago when they had wished Saashi farewell as they had left the imperial city at the break of dawn. Telarendil hadn’t been there, he’d been too engulfed in his research. Saashi had been very emotional and had promised them at least ten times that she would visit them soon and had almost considered joining them on their trip to Hammerfell. But eventually she had let them go as she was reminded of the adventures that awaited her at the college. She’d walked with them all the way to Weye and had said goodbye to them there. From there they had taken the long route leading along Hammerfell’s coast, continuing to ride on horseback as the animals could still endure the temperatures on the coast quite well as opposed to the desert heat.

They were hoping to rent some camels in Taneth after giving the amulet back to Naela so they could make their way to the oasis of Al-Pirrah and have a short vacation there before heading home.

The journey had been quite peaceful as they had been able to go over well guarded roads, and so far the early autumn temperatures had been quite mild. It was only after passing the Kingdom of Rihad that they had started to feel the burning Hammerfell heat and had been required to make more stops in order to let the horses rest.

It had taken them four days to reach the city of Taneth, and both of them were happy to see it’s white walls in the distance when they came close. It nonetheless took them another six hours to finally reach the city and it was just half an hour before sunset when they were finally able to pass the city gates after an extensive questioning by the guards. The bustling city was packed as ever as they navigated their way though it’s streets towards an affordable inn where they planned to spend the night.

Once they had dropped off their possessions at an inn they went into the city, enjoying it’s rich atmosphere and exotic tastes. They ended up having dinner at a traditional Redguard tavern, and decided to do some necessary supply shopping before heading back to the inn.

Framir was also able to find a Redguard jeweler who, for a price which he initially found slightly too steep, would be able to repair the necklace he’d gifted to Lea. The man promised to have the piece of jewelry finished by the next morning, something Lea was very delighted by as it wouldn’t make for extra delays in their journey.

Once midnight approached and they had two new sacks full of supplies they made their way back to the inn and had a very nice night’s rest as the city around them kept bustling, seemingly never sleeping as the next morning the streets were as packed as they were last night.

‘Is it ever not busy here?’ Lea groaned as she had to forcibly make her way through a small crowd in front of a market stall blocking the street.

‘During the afternoon all is quiet’ Framir smiled as he looked at her delivering all sorts of variations on “excuse me” and “I’m sorry I need to pass through” ‘It’s the hottest point of the day, and everyone is inside either sleeping or drinking, it’s quite fascinating to see’

‘I can imagine’ Lea breathed freely as they finally arrived at the square where the sorceress Naela lived ‘So, which house is it?’

‘That one’

They made their way towards the small manor and quickly knocked on the door. Several seconds later the door was opened by Imane, Naela’s servant. When she saw Framir she immediately let them in and not much later they were greeted by Naela herself who emerged from her study. She asked them all about their exploits since leaving Taneth while they sat in her comfortable living room and Imane brought them a constant stream of tea and snacks. It was quite a pleasant experience, and the Bosmer Sorceress was extremely interested in every small detail, often gasping as theories she’d made while they were away were either proven correct or wrong. The binding ritual especially was a point of interest to her, and she told them she’d actually consider travelling to Cyrodiil to see if she could learn more about it.

‘And you were welcomed by the emperor himself you say?’ Naela leaned back on her couch ‘Well, you’ve certainly had the adventure of a lifetime, almost straight out of a fairytale’

‘Yeah, it’s hard to grasp all of this really happened’ Framir put down his teacup and looked at Lea ‘But at least it’s over now, and hopefully life can return to normal soon’

‘But normal is so dull’ Naela laughed ‘Your exploits truly fascinate me, as I said, I might even see what old Tela has written down about it, if he won’t have his writings guarded by bloodhounds or atronachs and actually publishes them’

‘He seemed very excited last time we saw him’ Lea said with a slight chuckle ‘He’ll probably be publishing something soon’

‘Tela is always excited, about every little thing that even remotely has something to do with his work’ Naela laughed ‘But I suppose we will see. What are your plans now?’

‘Later this afternoon we’ll be making the journey to Al-Pirrah and hopefully arrive there in a few days. We’ll make a long stop there and from there head home’

‘I see’ the sorceress studied them ‘Well, I hope you will have a grand time then’

‘Thank you, Madam Greenthorn’ Lea bowed her head ‘And thank you for the tea and snacks, they were delicious’

‘You’re welcome’ Naela stood up ‘I suppose all that rests me is to wish you a pleasant and safe journey then, hmhm?’

‘Indeed’ Framir smiled as they walked back towards the hall ‘Thank you for all your help, and for welcoming us back in your home’

‘It was my pleasure’ Naela shook their hands as they made ready to depart ‘Good luck out there, and have a safe journey, friends’

### Epilogue part 4: The Road Home

_Frostfall 29 th, 4E 180_

_The Al-Pirrah Oasis, the Alikr Desert, Hammerfell_

‘Have I told you yet how much I love this thing?’ Lea smiled as she looked at the repaired necklace, she’d been wearing it almost every day since they left Taneth with it, only putting it off when they would swim in the oasis to make sure the metal wouldn’t be able to get damaged. They had been staying at the small oasis for over two weeks now and both of them had been able to relax significantly as they enjoyed the Oasis’s pleasant atmosphere. Lea had loved the Oasis the moment she’d set foot in it and as they stayed in it’s confines time had flown by like a well shot arrow. It seemed only yesterday when they had taken their first dive into the Oasis’ cool waters, but it was now time to pack up and head back home.

‘I will truly miss this place’ Lea sighed as she fell back on their rented bed ‘I don’t suppose I’ll see it back all too often, so I’m trying to take in every last moment’

‘Yeah, there aren’t many places as great as this one, at least not that I know off’

‘Yeah I agree’ Lea smiled ‘But I don’t mind, every place that has you in it will be at least… close… to the greatness of this place’

‘That, is very cheesy’ Framir bowed over for a kiss ‘But also very sweet’

‘That’s me’ Lea stood up and threw her final two tunics in her pack ‘So, time to go?’

‘Almost’ Framir now also fell back on the bed ‘Technically we’ve got the room for another hour so letttttssss just enjoy it until we’re kicked out’

‘Great idea’ She dropped her pack and jumped right on him, causing his chest to be flattened partially and his breath to be forced out of him. He laughed a laugh which was interfered with coughs ‘You’re enthusiastic’

‘Well, let’s make the most out of it, shall we? No point in being slow witted’

‘I suppose you are right’ He smiled as he closed his eyes and felt her lips on his. He answered her kiss and soon they would be lost in passions one last time before heading home.

### Epilogue part 5: Peace at Last

_Sun’s Dusk 13 th, 4E 180_

‘Damn, you two are tanned’ Malenwen laughed as she observed Lea and Framir get off their horses ‘Almost makes me want to go back to the desert as well, almost’

‘Well, the heat wasn’t so bad after you got used to it’ Lea handed her a pack ‘Hold this, will you?’

‘Say Raven boy, I suppose you didn’t take your beloved to the uncharted desert regions?’

‘No, I didn’t feel that would be good for her’ Framir laughed as he looked at Lea’s slightly offended face ‘She was already complaining about the heat on the coastal road to Taneth’

‘Hah!’ Malenwen burst out in laughter as she pat Lea on the back with her free hand ‘You have experienced nothing, my dear’

A heated discussion started between Lea and Malenwen as Framir further unloaded the packs from the horses. They had brought several objects for their home from both Hammerfell and the Cyrodiilic cities they had passed through, to a point where Lea had almost felt sorry for the horses which had to carry the load. When Framir finished unloading he led the horses to the stables as Malenwen and Lea started to bring the packs into Framir’s house. He and Lea had agreed to share the house as of their two houses it had the most quiet location and the best bed, and they agreed to remodel part of Lea’s house into a workshop for Framir where he’d be able to exercise any hobby he would decide to get into.

When Lea had asked what he wanted to do with the space he’d simply shrugged and replied ‘I don’t know, I’ll have time to think about that once we’re home’

When he returned to his house he saw Malenwen and Lea had finished bringing the packs in and had left the door open for him, causing him to go in immediately. When he stepped into his small living room he saw the packs were just put down wherever the two women had felt like. But before he could say anything about it he saw a large pack stand in the middle of the room, which had definitely not come with them from Hammerfell. ‘What is that?’

He saw Lea also staring at it while Malenwen was simply smiling ‘Surprise. Two weeks ago several Imperial soldiers came to bring this in, I have no idea what it is, I didn’t dare open it’

‘Ah’ Framir chuckled and looked at Lea ‘I suppose then this is our gift’

‘Well, let’s open it then’ Lea started taking the wrapping cloth off the pack and as the cloth fell off they saw it was a medium size bookcase, decorated with imperial symbols. The two upper shelves were filled with all types of books, Framir could see several potion books and combat instruction books. But also history books and he thought he even spied a book on smithing. The middle shelf was empty, safe for a strongbox and a key bound to a small scroll. On the bottom levels of the bookcase stood a full set of luxury silverware and several richly decorated jugs and other kitchenware.

‘Well, that’ll come in handy’ Framir smiled and took the key to the strongbox and unrolled the small scroll. A tightly written message was scribbled on the parchment in an elegant handwriting. He then read the message out loud so Lea and Malenwen could also be privy to the contents of the scroll.

‘Dear Mr. Pure-Wish,

On behalf of myself and my father I wish to thank you once more for your services done to the empire, both during the war and during the latest crisis. This gift has been assembled by myself and your dear friend Saashi, who knows you much better than I do unfortunately. My father, myself and Saashi hope that it’s contents will prove useful to you in rebuilding your life and enjoying your well deserved rest.

Included with this gift is a strongbox containing the necessary funds for if you one day do decide to start a family like we talked about. I also took the liberty to include a bracelet for your beloved which my dear wife personally picked.

My father and I both hope you will find the peaceful life you are looking for, and wish you all the best.

Sincerest regards,

Your friend,

Aemon Cephorus Mede,’


End file.
